


Not a Monster

by nojamsjimin



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Because I'm just a big softie, Boys Share Their Emotions™, But it's gonna be cute, Chae Hyungwon is bad at feelings, Did I Mention Angst?, Feels, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I can promise feels, Jooheon and Hyungwon are both panicked gays, Lee Minhyuk just wants to be everyone's friend, M/M, Most of them have tough family lives pls love them, Oblivious Shownu, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protect, Shin Hoseok | Wonho is a Softie, The Author Regrets Nothing, Then there's Shownu, Yoo Kihyun is the popular kid at school, hoseok is so whipped, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-04-14 15:02:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14138520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nojamsjimin/pseuds/nojamsjimin
Summary: Chae Hyungwon: known around the school for being the most standoffish, ignorant, and disagreeable person you could ever meet.Shin Hoseok: known around the school for a horrific incident that wasn't even his fault.It wasn't pure coincidence these two ended up being so drawn to each other. They say opposites attract, but sharing similarities also counts for something. Like the similarity that pretty much everyone hates your guts and avoids you.[buckle up y'all. this gon' be angsty and fluffy af.]





	1. How It Started

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some might say it wasn't the most desirable of meetings.

"Psst. You. Principal asked me to wake you up. Everyone's already gone home, ya know."

Hyungwon stirred awake at the sound of a soft voice muttering these words, followed by the gentle tapping of fingertips against the metal desk on which he had chosen to take his nap. It was well into the afternoon, he deduced, judging by how far the sun had sunk beneath the yellow and pink dusted sky. Gazing out the window, Hyungwon sighed and rubbed his eyes groggily, shamelessly pretending not to notice the boy standing right in front of him. There was no reason to acknowledge him anyway. _He's no friend of mine._

"You're...Hyungwon, right?"

_So he knows my name_. Hyungwon rolled his eyes languidly away from the sky and lifted them to meet the bright irises of a stranger—a classmate, no doubt, with messy blond hair that suggested he had a habit of neglecting to treat it. He squinted at him.

"You are?"

"Hoseok," the boy replied, tapping on Hyungwon's desk once more for some reason. "I'm the guy who's been sitting directly in front of you for the past week. How do you not know my name by now?"

"Hey, you didn't even know mine with confidence," Hyungwon countered.

"I still remembered it."

"I'm not impressed, Minseok."

"It's Hoseok."

"Don't correct me."

For some reason this drew a soft laugh from Hoseok's lips, and he turned his head from Hyungwon as though to hide his amusement. Sad attempt, it was, if it could even be called an attempt. Hyungwon bore his teeth at him, rising to his feet and sliding the strap of his book bag over his shoulder. Hoseok chuckled again. _The nerve._

"Hey. The heck is your deal?"

"You're just so cute. And not intimidating." The blond covered his mouth this time, but all this did was turn what would have been another laugh into a quiet snort. "Your attitude does not match your appearance at a–"

That was where he stopped him. Observing Hoseok had begun to let his guard down, folding his arms and slouching noticeably, Hyungwon took this opportunity to give him a firm kick to the shins. The unsuspecting blond stumbled backward and collided with his own desk, causing it to be knocked back a few inches as he rear end struck the floor.

"C'mon, man. I held back for your sake."

"How sweet of you..."

A prideful smirk tugged at the corner of Hyungwon's mouth as he sensed a hint of regret forming in the other boy's eyes. Perhaps he recognized his mistake. Yes, that was it. But he recognized it too late, and now he sat in a defeatist position, gazing up at Hyungwon with his eyebrows knitted together.

"That was pretty mean."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment..."

"Are you in pain?"

"I am. Are you concerned?"

"Not really. Just curious." He gave a half-spiteful, half-tickled smile. Hoseok's frown deepened. "Good luck walking on that leg."

"Wow. Could you get any sweeter?"

"Don't tempt me, Jimin."

"That's not even close to my real name..."

Still grinning snidely, Hyungwon made his way over to the doorway, maneuvering past the rows and rows of empty seats in the classroom adequately lit by what little sunlight poured through the window. Hoseok rose to his feet the moment his classmate reached that doorway, and he let out an audible groan as he bent over to touch his newly acquired bruise. _Must be pretty bad_ , Hyungwon thought with an increasing feeling of pride. _He seems to be experiencing genuine pain. Serves him right..._

"You got a way home?" Hoseok straightened his posture and looked into Hyungwon's eyes. The latter, puzzled by the boy's sudden tone of apparent concern, quirked an eyebrow, tilting his head at the same time.

"What's it to you?"

Hoseok's expression went blank, comically blank. _Victory is mine_ , Hyungwon thought to himself, expecting that face of his to remain in a fixed state of blatant irritation until Hyungwon disappeared from his sight. But it didn't. And he didn't reply with sarcasm, either, which really caught Hyungwon off guard. The blond offered a gentle sigh, then lowered his head almost in a submissive manner.

"I'm trying to be responsible," came a barely audible whisper. "Let me kind, please."

"I just kicked you in the shin, Hoseok."

Hoseok promptly gave me a look that read _yeah, I know, thanks for reminding me_. But again, he seemed to be doing his best to humble himself.  _He's so...incredibly bizarre._

"You might have," he soon replied, pursing his lips for a moment, "but the fact that you don't even know me makes it okay."

"Not sure I understand."

"I don't expect you to."

He grew tired of being stationary and limped his way over to the doorway where Hyungwon was still standing with arms crossed and a quizzical look creeping up onto his face. Internally, he was debating whether or not to question Hoseok. He was an odd one, that was for sure, without a doubt possessing some ulterior motive for not showing any desire to return the kick given. Honestly, it was baffling. Every single person Hyungwon had even come close to abusing in the past straightaway fired him the death glare of Satan - either that, or strongly suggested anger management therapy using nothing more than eyebrow gestures. But Hoseok was unreadable.

"So are you gonna answer my–"

"I walk to school everyday, with or without my brother." Digging his hand into the small side pocket of his backpack, Hyungwon lifted out his phone, glanced at the screen after turning it on, then put it back. "Looks like he's already gone home with his girlfriend, so I'm on my own."

"Let me walk you home."

A judgmental stare. "What do I look like to you? A nine-year-old girl? I don't need an escort, thanks. I think I can find my way back."

"But I want to."

"Why?"

"Dunno. I just like company, I guess."

"Tell you what," Hyungwon began, gaze drifting down to Hoseok's leg, which still appeared to be wobbly from the aftermath of the kick, "if you can keep up with me, then so be it."  _There's no way he'll be able to._

How wrong he was. Hyungwon was crucially unaware of the sheer capability of this boy's determination, and five minutes into the walk home, he greatly regretted ever having made the proposition in the first place. He would glance to his left every couple seconds only to find Hoseok happily limping beside him, seeming unable to be fazed by anything. Dare he say it, but Hyungwon had a feeling not even another one of his legendary shin kicks would do any good. Hoseok tripped. Twice. And again, he acted as though nothing had happened. Like he was experiencing no physical pain. Instead, the blond tried his best to carry a friendly conversation with the disagreeable Hyungwon. 

"So, you've got a brother, huh?"

Hyungwon clicked his tongue against his teeth. "I do," he replied reluctantly. "I already told you that."

"Is he the only sibling you have?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, now shut up."

"I don't have any siblings."

"Didn't ask, but okay."

"Do you guys get along well?"

"Do you think my foot would get along well with your face?"

He laughed.  _Why is he freaking laughing??_

"Stop that."

Hoseok turned his head to the side and covered his mouth, but still a few giggles spilled out. "Sorry, it's just..." He wiped his eyes as if tears had been there. "I didn't expect you to be so funny, Hyungwon. You've got a great sense of humor."

They had to stop at a red light. Hyungwon grit his teeth and clutched the strap of his book bag. "I wasn't joking, though," he muttered. 

"And yet it was still funny. See? You don't even have to try."

"Do you enjoy making enemies?"

"No, but I'm good at it."

Something about his choice of words, something about the tone in which he uttered them struck Hyungwon as odd. A bit suspicious even, as though there was a deeper meaning behind them. But he shook that thought off before too long, because he hated dwelling on anything that involved other people, especially virtual strangers. Sticking out his bottom lip, he sighed and started to cross the street ahead of Hoseok. The other boy followed happily behind like a dog.

"Looks like it's gonna rain soon, don't ya think, Hyungwon?"

"Mm." He didn't bother looking up at the sky. Overhead, storm clouds were in fact moving in, quite rapidly, as Hoseok had observed. The sky was dimming. Still, Hyungwon continued to ignore it. 

A short while later and the two boys had arrived at Hyungwon's house. He marched up to his porch, not realizing he was still being followed. It was only when he reached his porch that he finally turned around, and he immediately leapt, startled by the fact Hoseok was standing on his porch right beside him instead of having left, as Hyungwon thought was the obvious thing to do at this point. 

"Why are you here?" He spat bitterly. 

Hoseok smiled. "Just making sure you get into your house safely."

"Well you don't have to. And you're pissing me off now, so go home."

"I will," the boy replied, unaffected by his classmate's harsh tone of voice. "As soon as you get inside your house."

"What the actual f-...no." Hyungwon squinted at him. "What if you decide to stick around? You're already giving off stalker vibes, ya know. And now you know where I live. So I'm gonna play it safe and make sure you leave before I go into my house. Now go." He was about to give Hoseok a forceful shove, but just as he had lifted his arms, a sudden downpour caught him by surprise and directed both boys' attention away from each other. There was a long stretch of silence - absence of words, that is. The rain wasn't silent at all. It was quite loud, actually, though luckily the roof of Hyungwon's porch prevented either of them from getting soaked. On the other hand, there was also something rather unlucky about this situation. 

"...I can't walk home in this..."

Hyungwon glanced at Hoseok's face, then shrugged. "Oh, well," he said apathetically. "Sucks to be you. Better get a move on."

"That's not very nice..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you think I was a nice person? Guess I've been sending you hazy signals, huh." He gestured for the blond to get a move on. Hoseok heaved a heavy sigh. 

"I'll leave," he soon said.. "Just gimme a minute so I can call my mom. I'll have her pick me up."

"Fine. Hurry up then." 

Hyungwon waited with crossed arms as Hoseok dug into his pocket, then his other pocket, then his back pockets, only to have the look of puzzlement on his face steadily increase. "Oops."

"What do you mean 'oops'?"

A guilty smile crept onto Hoseok's lips. "I, uh...think I left my phone at school."

And so stretched across Hyungwon's countenance, the most comically deadpan expression a person could ever be capable of forming. It took everything Hoseok had in him not to burst out laughing. 

"You're kidding."

"Afraid not. So can I use your phone?"

"Not over my dead body."

"Well then I guess I'll just have to stay here until the rain stops-"

In the blink of an eye Hyungwon had pulled his phone out of thin air and was soon shoving it in Hoseok's face, urging him to make the call before he developed the urge to 'kick you somewhere you don't want to be kicked.' The blond gratefully accepted the device. 

"......hey.....what's taking so long? What're you...h-hey! You're not even making a call! What do you think you're doing?!"

He snatched his phone out of Hoseok's grasp, not a moment before the boy finished sneakily carrying out his plan of action--aka inserting his number into Hyungwon's phone and sending himself a message. Hyungwon glared daggers at him, then at the screen.  

"Son of a-"

He looked up. Hoseok was gone. Well, almost gone. He was in the process of running away as fast as his legs could take him, covering his head with his bookbag as a grin took its place and remained upon his face. 

_That... **bastard**..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things start to get serious next couple of chapters, so bear with me
> 
> looking forward to writing this, I've already got a ton of things planned and Monsta X is precious to me so you can bet imma pour my heart into it
> 
> as always, your comments are appreciated I love hearing from u guys
> 
> love y'all <3


	2. I Just Want to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your brother is quite handsome."
> 
> Hyungwon didn't reply. He just stirred his rice in silence. 
> 
> "...you are, too, you know. I can see a resemblance."
> 
> "Save it," came the boy's low mutter, "I don't need your flattery."

**Hoseok** : heyyy

**Hyungwon** : wtf u bstrd

**Hyungwon** : u f

**Hyungwon** : snake

**Hyungwon** : ur a snake

**Hoseok** : what? cmon don't be like that hyungwon...

**Hoseok** : just being friendly

**Hyungwon** : u picked the wrng prson

_Are you sure you want to block this number?_  
_\-- >[Yes]    [No]_

Hyungwon came to school the next day, not having forgotten about Hoseok, but rather having pushed him to the back of his mind to avoid disturbing his usual pace. He walked to school with his brother like usual, though neither said a word to each other, as Hyungwon's brother was too busy texting someone on his phone to talk to him. But of course, Hyungwon didn't care.

Upon arriving at the school building, he went immediately to his classroom, located his seat, then took out his handheld gaming device to kill time with until the first class began. Around him the typical morning chatter could be heard but lost itself in the thick atmosphere of apathy circling Hyungwon's head. He had learned over time to simply tune people out, and by this point he was quite skillful at it. Some guy sitting on the other side of the classroom had the guts to chuck a balled up piece of paper at Hyungwon's head. Had he not been distracted by his game, he most certainly would have retaliated. On top of that fact, it was morning, he was tired, and he didn't care enough to lift a finger. So instead he swore under his breath.

Minutes passed. Hyungwon eventually let his guard down.

"Hey."

"Piss off."

It was Hoseok. The blond was now peering over the back of his seat at Hyungwon's gaming device, stifling a smile at the dark-haired boy's bitter words. 

"I said piss off. Why're you still here?"

"This is interesting," Hoseok replied, squinting at screen. "I wanna watch."

"Piss. Off."

"Ah, that reminds me. I wanted to thank you for yesterday."

Hyungwon lowered his game for a second to raise his annoyed, judgmental gaze to Hoseok.

"How did me telling you to piss off remind you of that? Also, what, _pray tell,_ do you have to thank me for? I didn't do jack squat." He scoffed, returning his attention to the game. _"You're_ the one who did something. You stole my freaking number."

Hoseok gave a quiet hum and nodded his head. "Mm. And you blocked it."

"Of course I did. Gotta teach you one way or another." He tapped away furiously at the buttons for a bit, soon unable to resist bringing the memory back to the surface of his mind. "Honestly," he whined, and clicked his tongue against his teeth, "to think someone would be brave enough to do something like that. Absurd. It's no question you don't know me. You wouldn't have done that if you did. I hope you know you're my least favorite person right now."

"Ooh. Do I get an award for that?" Hoseok asked eagerly, which naturally only helped him to get on Hyungwon's nerves even more.

"An award, huh? How about a kick to the groin?"

"No, thanks."

"That's what I thought. Now go away."

"Ah, but I can't. Class is gonna start soon."

"Don't care. You're annoying me."

"How am I annoying you?"

He didn't get the chance to answer that question, as a bell sounded before he had even begun to open his mouth. Hoseok turned around in his seat slowly and reluctantly. A part of him had hoped he would get a legitimate response out of Hyungwon, but perhaps, he wondered, that was just wishful thinking.  _Probably not a morning person,_ he eventually decided, directing his attention towards the front of the class as their teacher entered the room. Hyungwon groaned and shoved his game into his backpack. But he pulled his phone out not a moment later, and Hoseok noticed this, and he chuckled, because  _was it that hard for him to sit through a single class without technology in his hands?_ Hoseok hadn't paid much attention to him before, but in the back of his mind he recalled seeing Hyungwon constantly with his face in his phone during pretty much every class of the day. Honestly, now that he thought of it, it was a miracle Hyungwon hadn't had that thing confiscated by now - well, he did once. But after that time it seemed the boy had grown accustomed to the pattern of the teachers' sweeping gaze, and he successfully hid the device whenever it would shift over to him. 

Admittedly, Hoseok couldn't resist pulling out his phone during class, too, although much less so was his face buried in the screen than Hyungwon's was. And when he was on his phone, Hoseok was typically texting his friends. But not Hyungwon, no. Hyungwon was a social media whore. Secretly, of course. And he didn't post any selfies or anything, because he knew that somehow, someone who recognized him would find him and express their disapproval in a sternly worded comment - which Hyungwon wouldn't take to heart naturally, but he heard enough criticism in real life. He didn't need it online, too. So he had secret accounts where he did nothing more than complain about things. _Every_ thing, actually. He was quite good at it. 

 

_Complaint Dude @sippingjudgment_

_The trees this time of year have too many leaves._

 

Oddly enough, he was rather popular. 

 

_Lim Changkyun @toomanyswag_

_@sippingjudgment_ _lmao dude ikr like can they not_

 

_Complaint Dude @sippingjudgment_

_@toomanyswag  we should make a law_

 

_Choi Junhong @dancedancetillyouredead_

_@sippingjudgment  to wut, ban trees?_

 

_Complaint Dude @sippingjudgment_

_@dancedancetillyouredead  yes but just spring trees_

 

_Lim Changkyun @toomanyswag_

_@sippingjudgment  sounds interesting_

 

_Kim Yerim @yerrriii_

_@sippingjudgment  are autumn trees ok_

 

_Choi Junhong @dancedancetillyouredead_

_@sippingjudgment @yerrriii  yeah i kinda like autumn trees_

 

_Complaint Dude @sippingjudgment_

_@yerrriii @dancedancetillyouredead  the autumn trees can stay_

 

_Choi Junhong @dancedancetillyouredead_

_@sippingjudgment  yessss_

 

 

 

The lunch bell rang and Hyungwon made no hesitation to scoop up his bag, throw it over his shoulder, and make his way swiftly to the cafeteria, where he proceeded to claim his usual spot and begin eating lunch alone. It didn't bother him. It certainly didn't bother him that he had only recently begun to eat alone, it didn't bother him that from where he sat he could easily see his brother feeding his girlfriend, both with stupid-in-love grins on their stupid faces. He didn't care that his brother didn't so much as look at him for the majority of the day anymore. Ever since he got into his relationship. No, Hyungwon wasn't bothered. He was happy for Jonghee. Why wouldn't he be? The boy was clearly happy. He was happy for him. 

_Denial? Don't joke with me. I'm not in denial._

He had been having the same conversation with himself quite often nowadays. His mind going back and forth between acceptance and denial, the unfamiliar and disgusting ambivalence that clouded his head every time he laid eyes on the happy couple. His brother was an intelligent and handsome young man; Hyungwon should have known someone like him wouldn't stay single forever. And his girlfriend was quite beautiful as well, so much so that she didn't need to wear makeup, but she did anyway, probably because she enjoyed to. And she was nice. She had a sweet face, and a charming laugh and personality. Perfect for Jonghee. Yes, a perfect girl for a perfect boy. It was no wonder why people didn't believe he and Hyungwon were related _at all_ \- forget telling them the two were twins. 

"Mind if I sit here?"

He didn't have the time to react. So lost in thought, so deep into this staring contest with his lunch, Hyungwon didn't register at first whose voice he was hearing. By the time he looked up it was too late. Hoseok had already sat down across from him. At  _his_ table.

"Um,  _excuse you."_ He leaned back, quirking a sassy brow. Hoseok raised his own, as if not understanding why Hyungwon was now looking at him in such an odd way. 

"I... _can_ sit here, right?"

"You cannot."

"Well, I'm sitting here anyway."

"I hate you."

"I know."

He scanned the cafeteria briefly, furiously, hoping to locate an empty table with his keen eyes. But the only ones available were a little too close to Jonghee's table. And Hyungwon wasn't about ready to go in that direction. He furiously spun around and shoved a large piece of spicy chicken into his mouth. Hoseok smiled a little. 

"What, too lazy to run away from me now?" He chuckled. "That's good. I was hoping you'd stay."

Hyungwon clenched his teeth, gradually moving his gaze up towards the blond's face as he angrily chewed his food. Hoseok was still smiling at him. And Hyungwon  _hated_ how pleasant that smile looked. 

"Okay, seriously, what do you want with me?" He spat. His elbow struck the table. "You could sit somewhere else. Easily. Why do you insist on bothering me?"

"I dunno, I was just hoping we could talk more," Hoseok answered, looking away for a moment. "I mean, you blocked my number, so if I can't text you I need to take advantage of the hours when I can see you in person."

Hyungwon pulled a face of disgust. He could feel his muscles twitching out of the sheer irritation this boy caused him, and he just wanted it to stop, because he wanted to be alone, alone to his bitter self. 

"Can I ask you a question?"

"No."

"Okay, cool. Is there a reason you sit alone?"

Hyungwon clenched his chopsticks - any harder and they would break in his grasp. If his blood hadn't boiled yet, it was definitely simmering now. Slowly he narrowed his eyes maliciously at the boy across from him, struggling not to stretch out his arm and slap his annoyingly curious face which was now tilted after having voiced his question. 

"Take a wild guess."

"You don't have friends."

"And I don't want them, either."

Hoseok pressed his lips into a fine line, then turned his head in the direction of the lunch table where sat a certain giggling couple. He soon frowned and returned his gaze to Hyungwon. 

"Well, might I ask why you were staring so intently over there just a minute ago?"

Hyungwon didn't raise his head. He knew where Hoseok was referring to. And it frustrated him that the boy had caught on to that. Because he would no doubt pester him until he received a satisfactory answer. Nonetheless, Hyungwon didn't feel obligated to tell the truth, so he simply said nothing at all. Hoseok sighed. 

"Is that boy your brother by any chance?"

Hyungwon froze. That alone was adequate confirmation. 

"Ah, so he is." 

Out of the corner of his eye Hyungwon could see Hoseok staring at Jonghee and the girl sitting with him, no doubt trying to analyzing the situation, and arriving at a quick conclusion. He hummed softly. And he hesitated. He hesitated to say anything to Hyungwon, as he noticed quite easily that this scene unfolding before his eyes was more than likely linked to Hyungwon's gloomy demeanor. He didn't want to risk saying the wrong thing. He already knew that Hyungwon wasn't too fond of him. Another step in the wrong direction and he might start being deliberately avoided. 

"Your brother is quite handsome."

Hyungwon didn't reply. He just stirred his rice in silence. 

"...you are, too, you know. I can see a resemblance."

"Save it," came the boy's low mutter, "I don't need your flattery."

"Flattery? I'm not trying to flatter you, Hyungwon. You're handsome. Is there something wrong with me saying that?"

"A pessimistic attitude isn't attractive. That's what my mom always tells me."

Hoseok paused. This comment had come from a personal place, perhaps Hyungwon's heart, which he had accidentally opened for but for a moment, just long enough to let these crestfallen words escape. And Hoseok felt this surge of sympathy take root in him. He knew it would grow. There was something about Hyungwon...

"You have pretty lips."

Startled, Hyungwon began choking on his food, and he slammed his fist against his chest, scarcely managing to force it down before his eyes could well with tears. It wasn't only Hoseok's words, it was the tone in which they were spoken, and the fact that the blond had been resting his elbow on the table, and his chin on the palm of his hand - of course, he pulled that hand away the second Hyungwon started to choke, his day-dreamy expression transforming into a panicky one quicker than he could blink. 

"A-are you okay??" 

_"I nearly died."_ He downed half his water bottle and threw Hoseok a sour glance. "No, I'm not okay. Don't sound so innocent. It's your fault."

In an instant Hoseok's countenance became painted over with guilt, and his posture loosened to the point where he was near to slipping off his seat. He tried propping himself up again, but something stopped him and drove him to rest his head against the cafeteria table. A pout took its place upon his lips. He didn't raise his head for quite some time, instead staring into space.  _What the heck is he waiting for??_

"Look, why don't you just go sit with your friends or something?" Hyungwon suggested. In his head, he had hoped Hoseok's guilt would urge him to do just that. But his plan didn't work. No, Hoseok just pouted  _more._

"My friends don't go to this school," he mumbled in self-pity, looking up at Hyungwon. "Although..." 

Hyungwon scooted to the right. Hoseok also scooted to the right. 

"Could we be friends, Hyungwon? I want to get to know you better."

"No, you really don't," he countered, moving away again. 

"Yes, I really do."

"You're so freaking annoying."

"So is that a yes?"

"I'm not answering you."

 


	3. We're Alike after All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon discovers why it is everyone seems to hate Hoseok. And he doesn't like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this will probably have slow updates lmao so have patience with me

The next morning rolled in slowly, dragging along with itself dreary, overcast weather which dimmed the sky significantly. It threw off Hyungwon's balance. He woke up perplexed as to why the usual early light wasn't pouring through his bedroom window, and even more perplexed when Jonghee barged into his room, ordering him to _get up already, it's getting late._

So Hyungwon threw himself out of bed, sloppily dressed himself in his school uniform, then hurried to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before heading out the door. But just as he was reaching for the cabinet to pick out a granola bar, his brother stopped him. Rather sternly. Using an arm to shut the cabinet door, Jonghee lowered his head and gazed into Hyungwon's eyes, which spoke for him even before he uttered the solemn words, "We need to talk."

Hyungwon just stared at him. How sudden, he thought. And how ridiculous. To go from an entire day of zero conversation to suddenly desiring to have a serious brother-to-brother talk...

"I thought you said it was getting late."

"I lied. Look at the time."

He did.  _Six-thirty._

"Sit down, Hyungwon."

Jonghee pulled out a chair for his brother, then himself. The two sat down and spent a few long moments in silence as Jonghee sorted though his head to find what it is he wanted to say. Once he found it, he released a great sigh, rolling his shoulders and soon after locking eyes with the one sitting in front of him.

"I saw you with that Hoseok guy yesterday."

Now this was unexpected. So unexpected that Hyungwon didn't believe his ears at first. He squinted at Jonghee, who squinted back at him.

"I'm not gonna play this game, man," Jonghee said with a groan. He clearly had a point he was trying to get to, and he probably had hoped to get to it immediately, but Hyungwon's irritated puzzlement wasn't merely an act, so he would have to draw the conversation out a bit longer.

"So what?"

 _"So,"_ his brother said with emphasis, "I don't think it's a good idea."

Such sobriety he held in his voice. Hyungwon felt a strange sensation in his chest. But just briefly.

"He approached me first," Hyungwon soon said as a way of justifying himself. Regardless, Jonghee still shook his head in disapproval.

"Look, Hyungwon, I just want you to listen to me for a sec, alright?" He watched as Hyungwon stubbornly crossed his arms. "Just...don't talk to him, okay? He's a dangerous person to be in the company of."

"Huh. You know him personally, then?"

"No," Jonghee confessed. "But everyone knows him. Or, at least, everyone but  _you,_ it seems."

Something about Jonghee's tone as he said that one word got under Hyungwon's skin. Just a little bit. Was it meant to spite him? He felt spited. Jonghee was looking at him with such an indescribable expression now, and Hyungwon honestly didn't know if he felt more annoyed or confused.

"He's not a good person, Hyungwon. He can't be. Stay away from him."

After that, Jonghee pushed back his chair and stood up, firing one last cold, warning glance his brother's way before disappearing out of the kitchen. And he left behind an invisible trail that led straight to Hyungwon's chest, where it settled. He wished he could have ignored it. He wished it didn't inflame his curiosity, but it did, and that frustrated Hyungwon. He had hoped that after yesterday, he would be able to forget about that stupid, annoying, smiley blond boy who seemed to love getting on his nerves. Now, it would be impossible. Even more impossible, that is. Hyungwon let out a deep breath he hadn't know he was holding.

"Stupid Jonghee," he muttered to himself. "Why should you care anyway..."

 

 

 

 

"Morning, Hyungwon."

He had sat down not two seconds ago, and yet here, right in front of his eyes, stood the exact same blond-haired idiot who hadn't left his mind once that morning. Shin Hoseok, with his smile as bright and distinct as ever, took his seat and spun around to face Hyungwon. He looked pleased.  _Of course he was,_ Hyungwon thought,  _he's here to bother me and he loves to do that._

"What do you want now?"

"I don't know." He scratched his ear and gave a brief laugh. "Maybe you could say good morning, too."

"And why would I do that?"

Hoseok paused. Then shrugged.

"Are you stupid or something?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Hyungwon did his signature scoff, then scanned the boy's face - well, he had meant to merely scan it, but his eyes lingered there a touch longer than he had intended. And it came off as more of a deeply thoughtful stare. And Hyungwon himself didn't notice it, because he happened to be quite distracted due to his brother's warning echoing in his head, but Hoseok's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, heartbeat having quickened momentarily in this odd tension that only seemed to be affecting him. He spun around in his desk and cleared his throat in a failed attempt to shake the feeling. The other boy paid little mind, and instead continued on with his thoughtful staring.

_"He's not a good person, Hyungwon. He can't be. Stay away from him."_

If Jonghee were in his class, Hyungwon might have dragged him over to Hoseok and asked directly what he had meant by those admonishing words. But alas, Jonghee was not in his class, and approaching him during the day had become something Hyungwon could hardly ever bring himself to do. And nowadays, he didn't even want to. Not with Jonghee's girlfriend practically glued to his side nearly every second of every day.

_"He's a dangerous person to be in the company of."_

The more he thought about it, the more it pissed him off. He just didn't get it. Dangerous? This exasperating, gentle-voiced, puppy-like boy? Hyungwon had only known him for a few days now, and yet he already labeled Hoseok as the type who wouldn't hurt a fly even if he had the chance. Then again, he was aware he could be totally wrong, but he didn't believe that were the case. No, he trusted his gut. He was always right. Well, most of the time. Sometimes. On occasions. Every now and then.

For the rest of the day, Hyungwon strove to focus on other things besides Hoseok. He really did try, but every new topic was interrupted by his inquisitive brain presenting more and more ridiculous ideas as to what could have possibly urged Jonghee to speak to him in the stern and steely manner that he did. However, nothing sounded right to him. Not with the image of Hoseok's innocent smile flashing across his mind repeatedly. And it didn't help that he began to take notice of the dirty looks.

People were watching them. People were whispering about them. Hyungwon couldn't hear their exact words, but gossip was gossip, and he knew nothing good ever came from it. Especially if it were about Hyungwon. After all, he was well aware how unloved he was in this community.

But what was the deal with Hoseok?

It would weigh on him forever if he didn't find out soon. He knew it would. And he hated this feeling so strongly that he even considered asking Hoseok about it. He considered it for quite a while...and eventually decided he would do it. He would ask him, and be done with it. After his curiosity was fed he could forget about this.

So Hyungwon devised a plan - if you could call it a plan, anyway. It was quite simple: he would wait by Hoseok's locker for him to return from his trip to the bathroom (he always went there at the end of the day, like he was a dog trained to go at certain times) and then drop the question.

The only issue was that Hyungwon didn't know where Hoseok's locker was. Luckily, however, it didn't take long for him to find it.

It showed itself to him.

A mischievous pair of students were huddled around one of the lockers, one of them scribbling something on it with a black sharpie marker. The other student caught sight of Hyungwon out of his peripheral vision, and he hurriedly tapped his friend's shoulder, and in the blink of an eye the two were racing down the hallway as fast as their legs could take them. Hyungwon watched them with great unease until they had disappeared completely. Then, with tentative and uncertain footsteps, he made his way over to the locker the two students had departed from.

It wasn't even recognizable as having once been identical to the others. Its outer surface was almost entirely covered in writing, large and small, swears and insults of which Hyungwon read every one, and it made his stomach churn.

_F*ck you, Hoesuck_

_Dirty sleazebag_

_Go home already you disgusting prick_

Uneasily he opened the locker door - the lock had been busted, appearing as though it had been repeatedly abused in the past. Hyungwon didn't know why his hands were so shaky, but undeniably they were, because he could see them trembling as he reached for one of the textbooks in the locker. Surely enough, this item, also, had been brutally marked up. Written on the brown paper cover:

_What do you need textbooks for? We don't want you studying with us_

_F*cking loser_

He flipped through one of the notebooks.

_You scare people_

_Just drop out of school already_

_No one wants you here_

_Everyone hates you Shin Hoseok_

**_J u s t  d i e_ **

His heart sank deep in his chest like a heavy stone throw into a river. And it remained there for some time, sinking deeper still as he lifted his head to find Hoseok standing afar off, an inscrutable expression now plastered on his ghostly-pale face. Hyungwon clutched the open pages of the notebook in his hands as Hoseok lowered his inexplicably guilty gaze.

"I'll explain," he said after a while, "but not here. There's this coffeeshop I go to often...why don't we talk there?"

 

 

 

 

He wasn't sure how he got here, but he was here. Hyungwon was in this coffeeshop, sitting at a small, polished table across from Hoseok who had returned moments ago carrying two coffees - one, an iced americano, for himself, and the other, a caramel macchiato, at Hyungwon's dazed request. Even after the drink had been placed in front of him Hyungwon didn't touch it for a while. He simply stared at the tan surface of his beverage, lost in his thoughts. Hoseok was a bit lost as well. He didn't know how to start the conversation. Or why this boy in front of him appeared to be so stricken by what he had witnessed. Bothered. Hopelessly confused. Sighing, Hoseok began to open his mouth, but was cut off. 

"Shin Hoseok."

The one addressed blinked at the mention of his name.

"Give it to me straight: who did you kill?"

"It wasn't me, it was my father."

The solemnity of that statement. The sheer sobriety and honesty of it made the blood drain from Hyungwon's face, because he was just joking, he hadn't expected Hoseok to confess to something like that. _He was just joking._  

"My dad was always a rather...aggressive person," Hoseok began. He fixed a narrow-eyed gaze on his folded hands. "I'll spare you the details, but to make a long story short, what started out as an argument between him and this other man ended up in two shots being fired - both from my dad's gun."

He shuffled slightly in his seated position, clearing his throat, and his frown deepened as his entire countenance was taken over by a shamefaced expression. 

"He's in prison now," Hoseok continued. "Got locked up right away. People found out about it. I don't know how, but they did. People at our school, some of which I'd talked to several times in the past. I guess one of them knew I used to be close to my father once upon a time..." He drew in a deep breath through his nostrils, then released it slowly. "They're scared of me now. And angry. Because one of the sons of the guy my father killed, well...I don't know him, but apparently he was loved by a lot of the students. A sweet guy, made a lot of people laugh with goodhearted humor. But after the incident, he changed. Distanced himself. And they hate me for it. No one wants to be near me because they think I'm like my father. They think I'm some kind of monster..."

A long period of silence passed as Hyungwon sunk into contemplation.

"That's...not fair."

He couldn't bring himself to look Hoseok in the eye, even though he could feel the boy looking at him quite intently now. He felt an unequivocal sense of guilt, as well as regret, though he didn't quite understand it. 

_"Do you enjoy making enemies?"_

_"No, but I'm good at it."_

"Man, now I feel like such a freaking jerk..." He mumbled this, partially because he had meant to keep it to himself, but it slipped out of his loose lips, and Hoseok heard it quite clearly. 

"Hyungwon, it's alright-"

"It's _not_ alright." Hyungwon unintentionally slammed his fist on the tabletop. "It's not alright, don't you understand? It's not fair. I've got a pissy attitude, I'm a terrible person, I have a reason to be hated, I deserve all the dirty looks people are sending me constantly, but  _you..._ " He stopped himself, faltering over a ragged, somewhat emotional breath. "You  _don't_ deserve it. That's why it frustrates me. If you were a bad person, maybe it wouldn't piss me off so much, but this is just-..."

He finally lifted his eyes, but only because Hoseok had boldly placed his hand on Hyungwon's arm. And he gave it a soft squeeze, his face filling with this particular warmth and gratitude as the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a delicate smile. And maybe it was the atmosphere, maybe it was this strange mood that had settled, this indescribable sentimental connection, but Hyungwon, in that moment, thought that Hoseok looked...kind of beautiful. He had looked him quite a few times by now, and yet he was just now realizing what a sweet and charming face the boy had - not scary at all. And Hyungwon almost blushed - keyword  _almost._

"Is that really how you think, Hyungwon?"

He was genuinely curious, voice quiet, but pleading. He leaned forward just a tad. Hyungwon flinched.  _Why do I feel nervous all of a sudden??_

"You stop that," he said, tugging at his arm to break it from Hoseok's grasp. To his surprise, the blond released him, drawing back his hand so that he could rest his chin on it. He laughed softly. 

"Okay, fine, I won't pester you about it. But..." He smiled. Again. "...hearing you say that made me happy, Hyungwon. Now I know I was right. You really are one of a kind."

It made his skin tingle, and Hyungwon didn't like it. He didn't like the way Hoseok was talking to him, the pure, honeyed sound of his voice, which the blond had intentionally lowered to a gentle whisper, as if to ensure no one but Hyungwon heard. He wasn't used to it. It was bizarre, the fact that anyone, especially this person who he had been particularly harsh to these past couple days, would speak to him in such a manner, would look at him in such a manner. Just what exactly went on in his head? Hyungwon fought to swallow his breath as he tapped his fingernails against the sides of his coffee cup. He sipped at it tentatively - sweet, just the way he liked it, contrary to the belief that all bitter people drank bitter coffee. He sipped at it again. And again. He stared out the clear glass window to his right, not knowing what to say, if he should say anything at all. In his defense, how  _would_ he know? Having legitimate conversations with people wasn't something he did on a regular basis. Or at all, except the rare occasions nowadays when he and Jonghee would talk, but even those conversations were reduced to a maximum of three measly minutes. 

But Hoseok...

Hyungwon urged himself to make eye contact. His heart skipped a beat. 

Hoseok just looked like he wanted to keep talking with him. And never stop. 

"So, uh-...a-about what you asked me yesterday at lunch..."  _Be subtle, Hyungwon. Act like you don't care._ "I...suppose it's alright."

It took a moment for the realization to settle in. Hoseok had to dig into his memories of yesterday and pull out what he didn't even know he was looking for. But once he found it, his expression lit up, and he was tempted to reach out and take hold of Hyungwon's arm again. 

"So we can be friends??" He asked, perhaps with a little too much excitement. Hyungwon shrunk in his seat. "Does this also mean you'll unblock my number?!"

_"If you don't lower your voice I'll change my mind."_

"Fair enough." He said this calmly, but the twitching of his lips suggested that internally, he was squealing. Hyungwon couldn't imagine why. Who in their right mind would want to be friends with him so badly, anyway? He was accustomed to people being repelled by the ugly scowl permanently carved into his face. And if his face didn't scare them away, then his threats did. Or the tightly clenched fists he would hold up whenever he caught someone in the act of staring at him funny. 

There was no question about it. Hoseok was something else. 

Hyungwon dug into his pocket and took out his phone.  

_Would you like to unblock this number?_

_\-- >Yes      No_

"There." He rolled his eyes and shoved the device back into his pocket. "Honestly, you're such a..." He stopped himself. 

"I'm a what?"

"A child. You're a large child."

 

 

 

 

_10: 42 p.m._

**Hoseok:** you awake hyungwon?

i dont know what time you typically

go to bed

**Hyungwon:**

im not asleep

**Hoseok:**

oh ok good :) 

glad 2 know i didnt wake u

what u doing?

**Hyungwon:**

bout 2 go 2 sleep

**Hoseok:**

i see

well

_[image sent]_

__

good night hyungwon <3

**Hyungwon:**

wtf w/ the heart

**Hoseok:**

im being affectionate hyungwonie

**Hyungwon:**

why

**Hoseok:**

bcuz thats how u friendship

**Hyungwon:**

ur like this w/ ur othr friends?

**Hoseok:**

yes <33

im just an affectionate prsn in general hyungwonie

**Hyungwon:**

ew

**Hoseok:**

youll get used to it haha

**Hyungwon:**

gross

i dont want 2

also dont call me hyungwonie

**Hoseok:**

y not??

u dont like it?

**Hyungwon:**

i dont

**Hoseok:**

:(

:((

:(((

:((((

:(((((

:((((((

**Hyungwon:**

s t o p

**Hoseok:**

:) okkay

nite nite hyungwon 

cu tomorrow <3

**Hyungwon:**

yeah yeah wtvr


	4. Strange Things are Happening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon has an odd day.

The next day was all sorts of weird, and it started with but a simple text message. 

There was nothing weird about the text message, per say, but what was weird was that Hyungwon was getting a text message  _at all,_ and from a friend, to top it off - yes, a friend. The friend he had made just yesterday. He thought. That was the agreement they made, right? Hoseok wanted to be his friend...for whatever reason, and Hyungwon, out of guilt and intrigue, told him it was okay. But he had never really had a genuine friend before, so anything from here on out would be alien to him. 

 

**Hoseok:**

good morning hyungwon !!

i hope ur doing well this morning

ill cu @ school l8er

 

He didn't reply. He didn't know if he were supposed to. So he merely read it, then set his phone aside, releasing a puff of air out his nostrils as thoughts of puzzlement wandered aimlessly in his head. He still felt awfully bothered. Yesterday afternoon had not yet left his mind, and he had a strange feeling it wouldn't for a while, what with him having no choice but to be around Hoseok at school and all. But, he supposed, maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he was imagining it to be. Maybe, now that he at least knew what was the reason behind Hoseok's absurd bad reputation, he could find ways to distract himself from his  _other_ questions. But again, there was no guarantee. For all he knew, Hyungwon's life could get worse from here on out. 

The second weird thing that occurred to him that day was the discovery that his usual route to school was blocked off - apparently there was construction undergoing in the area, which was odd, because that never happened. But there was nothing Hyungwon could do about it, so he took a detour, hoping he wouldn't somehow lose track of where he was and have to bring up Google Maps.

The third weird thing was linked to the second, and involved a boy - a student, one with platinum blond hair, quite similar to Hoseok's, and quite pretty too, but of course Hyungwon would never admit that - who happened to be terribly lacking in both the common sense and observation departments. Face two inches from his phone, the boy started to cross the street - the light was red at the time, that was the significant part - and Hyungwon was close enough, quick enough,  _impulsive_ enough to run out to him, seize his collar, and yank him forcefully back onto the sidewalk, scarcely out of the way of an oncoming car. The boy stumbled after he was pulled and fell to the ground. It was a somewhat soft landing, and he didn't think much of it, weighing it against the fact that getting struck by a speeding vehicle would have left him with many a scar. Hitting his bum on the pavement was nothing. Also, his phone wasn't damaged, so that was a plus. 

"Wh-..." 

Still sitting on the ground, the boy lifted his trembling, baby-blue eyes - probably contacts, Hyungwon thought - and stared in wonder at the young man standing over him. He breathed heavily, obviously quite shaken by his near death experience, soon to rise unsteadily to his feet. He was shorter than Hyungwon, but not significantly so. His bangs hung messily over his forehead, and he almost seemed to realize this, and combed them back with his slim, pale fingers. Hyungwon did nothing but observe. This pitiful, stammering boy seemed to be attempting to say something to him, but alas, his tongue was tied. His pale cheeks gained a bit of color - pink, and so did the tips of his ears. A sound escaped his parted lips. It wasn't a comprehensible word, though, and frankly, Hyungwon was far too impatient a person to withstand one more minute of this. So he walked away and let the strange boy look at his back as he resumed his walk to school.

It was there he was met with the fourth surprise. 

Hoseok stood at the entrance of the building, leaning casually against the front gate, looking around as though he was waiting for someone, anticipating the arrival of a certain individual - and he was. For his eyes lit up at the sight of Hyungwon approaching, and he raised a hand in the air, a hand gripping a paper bag with the logo of some baked goods shop. In the other hand which was at his side, he held carefully a coffee from the same shop.

And once again, the blond was smiling so brilliantly. Blindingly, even. Hyungwon reformed a scowl and made sure it was resting deeply on his face as he stepped up to Hoseok. 

"I bought you a coffee," the boy chirped, holding up said coffee. "And a doughnut, though I'm not sure if you like doughnuts. I did send you a text, but you didn't reply, so I figured I'd just take the shot and if I found out you didn't like doughnuts, I'd just eat it myself."

 _Is this dude serious?_ "What kind of doughnut?"

Hoseok's brows raised happily at the question. "Strawberry."

"...I'll take it."

So he grudgingly accepted the coffee and brown paper bag from Hoseok, gazing inside it at the pink-iced doughnut inside. His stomach growled. The boy never made an effort to eat a legitimate breakfast in the morning, usually resorting to something quick and easy, like a poptart or leftover rice or something along those lines. He was always hungry again by the time he got to school. Sipping coffee through the purple straw, Hyungwon hesitated to look Hoseok in the eye.

"You look handsome again today, Hyungwon."

He almost choked on his coffee. Almost. 

"Whatever you say, weirdo."

"Weirdo?" Hoseok chuckled, mouth closed. "Cute. Is that my nickname now?"

"Nickname? No, it's an insult."

"Compared to what I'm used to, that's the sweetest insult you could give me."

Hyungwon made a face, clearly one of discontentment, but nonetheless Hoseok found it amusing.

_Of course._

 

 

 

 

For the fifth time that day - the morning wasn't even over yet, for goodness's sake - Hyungwon was caught off guard. It was near the start of PE class; the students were required to do laps around the track field, which was fine by some people, including Hyungwon, when he knew that the alternative to running laps would be getting ruthlessly peppered in an overly impartial game of dodge ball. Hyungwon sat on one of the benches by the side of the track to tie his running shoes. He could see that a handful of people had already started their laps -  _eager to get them over with,_ he assumed. At least for many of them. 

His wandering eyes drifted up from his shoelaces. They drifted, and wandered as they drifted, and fell and rested on a certain boy who, coincidentally, was passing by Hyungwon's bench at that very moment. Not Hoseok, though. Hyungwon didn't know where Hoseok was at the moment. The boy who passed by - almost passed by, actually; he skidded to an abrupt stop after making sudden eye contact with Hyungwon - was none other than the oblivious idiot who nearly got himself run over this morning. Why was he coming this way?? Hyungwon panicked, both inside and out. Hastily he finished tightening his laces and scrambled to get away before the boy reached him, because no, he didn't want to talk to him. He didn't exactly know why, he just  _didn't._ Maybe it was the all-too-animated expression on the boy's face, and it was morning, and Hyungwon was not ready to deal with that. 

But he couldn't escape in time. 

"Aaaahhhh!!"

His wrist was seized at the same time this baffling shout came out of the stranger's mouth. He was still in shock, evidently, from what occurred on his walk to school. Perhaps that shock had been triggered by the sight of this bitter boy who had saved him. Hyungwon bore his teeth and gave a tug at his wrist. 

"What the he-"

"I'm sorry!" The boy blurted. Hyungwon titled his head at him. 

"About-?"

"This morning! I wasn't paying attention-"

"Obviously," Hyungwon interjected, scoffing. For some reason the boy nodded vigorously. 

"Yeah, so I wanted to apologize. And thank you."

As he said this, a grin stretched itself across his clear complexion, some sort of joy seeming to dance in his eyes, which Hyungwon could see now were a light brown - so he had been right, those  _were_ colored contacts. Hyungwon struggled to look away from the blinding sincerity and gratitude held within them. His throat felt dry for some reason, and he felt the need to swallow his breath.

"I'm Minhyuk, by the way."

"I didn't ask." Hyungwon tugged again. Minhyuk let go this time, and he chuckled. He looked so happy. So, so happy. 

"I'll return the favor, don't worry," he said whilst taking several steps backward, not breaking eye contact with Hyungwon. "Okay? I promise! See ya later!!"

Puzzlement painted on his countenance, Hyungwon watched with arched eyebrows as Minhyuk skipped gleefully over to join his friend, someone Hyungwon was surprised he actually recognized - well, it wasn't all that surprising. After all, this was someone pretty much the entire school knew, but in a good way, not infamously like Hyungwon or Hoseok. It was Yoo Kihyun, the "gorgeous, handsome, 175 centimeters of drop-dead beauty" Kihyun, as the girls - and some guys - so dramatically described him. Hyungwon squinted as Kihyun ran a hand through his dyed pink locks, pushing them off his forehead as he made a glance over at the boy his friend had just briefly abandoned him for. Minhyuk pointed at him and said something, beaming, but at that point Hyungwon was no longer paying any attention to him. He had laps to run, just like everyone else. He couldn't afford to be wasting his time thinking of trivial things...

 

 

 

 

"Chae Hyungwon, correct?"

And this would mark the sixth out-of-the-ordinary occurrence of the day. Hyungwon was just trying to eat his lunch in peace - well, as much peace as one can enjoy with an oversized puppy constantly dishing out glances and random questions, like 'what's your favorite color' and 'have you ever dropped your phone in the toilet before because I have' - but he was interrupted. By? Yoo Kihyun, of course - no, not of course. He was the  _last_ person Hyungwon expected to show up at his virtually empty lunch table, and honestly, the last person he _wanted_ to show up at his lunch table. He could already feel the hopelessly fazed and dumbstruck gazes digging into his skin, begging  _him_ for answers, whereas Hyungwon was the one who needed the answers. 

Gradually, he lowered his chopsticks and set them on the table. 

"Yes," was his faint reply.  _Don't look at him. Don't you dare look at him, me. Look at Kihyun, and the entire high school will murder you for having sullied his precious eyes with your despicable gaze._

"Mm. I thought I recognized you."

He sat down -  _ **The** Yoo Kihyun, Daesung High's Prince, who simply oozes with this indescribable perfectness which intimidated even the un-intimidate-able Hyungwon _ \- at the table next to Hyungwon. The dark-haired boy flinched. He couldn't just tell Kihyun to go away. He really  _would_ get killed if he did that. Which meant he would have to endure it. He would have to endure Kihyun's presence here and make sure the prince walked away from the table smiling, so that observers wouldn't think any unpleasant or insulting words were uttered on Hyungwon's part. Maybe then he would be spared. 

On the other side of the table Hoseok silently chewed his food and watched the two handsome boys talk, his eyes wide and curious. 

"Any...particular reason you're here-?"

"Yeah, I suppose there is." Kihyun gave a small nod and even a smile, with his thin pink lips pressed together, tilted upwards only slightly, but giving off a sincere vibe. "Minhyuk told me about you."

 _Oh._ "Um-"

"I'm sure Minhyuk's already thanked you, but I didn't, so that's what I'm here to do." 

Something dawned on him just then - Kihyun, that is. His eyes softened, cheeks puffing out for just a moment as he sorted through his thoughts. A faint sigh passed through his lips. 

"I'm...really grateful...for what you did, Hyungwon. If you hadn't been there..." He paused, looked away, almost nervously, then continued, "Minhyuk could have been in some serious trouble. And he means a lot to me, and I don't know what I do if anything happened to him, so...thank you."

Hyungwon's chest felt tight, compressed. He hadn't yet moved his eyes from the surface of his food, and now, he was even more tentative to do so in fear of the expression he would find on Kihyun's face. But he soon found himself looking upon that expression - artlessly warm and kind and beautiful, just as he feared - when he noticed a small slip of paper being slipped over to him. It had numbers on it.  _Phone_ numbers.  _Two of them._

"These are mine and Minhyuk's numbers." Kihyun cleared his throat and retracted his hand from the paper. "If you need anything, you can let us know, okay? Minhyuk, for one, won't be satisfied until he pays you back in some way. He's such a sweetheart, really, so let him do  _something,_ even if it's something simple like buying you lunch or being his friend. As for me, I-"

_"Uummm."_

Uttered rather loudly and stretched out, this noise was, as if to purposely attract the attention of these two boys who seemed to have forgotten about the existence of a third person. Hoseok shifted his puzzled gaze between the faces of Hyungwon and Kihyun. He tilted his head far to the right. 

"Um," he said again, a bit softer this time. His eyes were trained on Hyungwon now. "Could I ask-?"

"Hyungwon saved my friend from getting hit by a car this morning."

His eyes were trained on Hyungwon now. As were Kihyun's. And Hyungwon just felt this bizarre spotlight on himself, feeling his face turn a tint red at the attention, and an additional tint at the look of pure, unadulterated amazement on Hoseok's face. Mouth ajar, the boy blinked repeatedly, fixed in a state of nonplus - Hyungwon wasn't denying anything, which meant Kihyun wasn't joking around. Hyungwon really  _had_ saved someone's life that morning, and Hoseok couldn't believe it. 

"Hyungwon, that's...incredible, holy crap. You're a hero."

 _Oh, great._ The boy in question lowered his head.  _He's smiling. Why is he smiling?? Ugh, it's like his face is glowing. I hate it. I hate this._

"I just did what anyone else would have done," Hyungwon muttered. He hoped this comment would lessen the weight of his good deed, but neither Kihyun nor Hoseok seemed any less impressed. In fact, dare he say, they looked  _more_ amazed. Because he was being humble about it - Hyungwon, the individual in this school who had one of the worst reputations, of all people, was being humble. He sunk further into himself. 

"Well, I hate to leave so soon," Kihyun said at some point, seizing Hyungwon's attention, "but Minhyuk's probably waiting for me, and I really should get back to him." He placed a gentle hand on Hyungwon's shoulder as he stood up, and Hyungwon flinched, not expecting the sudden physical contact. If it weren't the prince, he most certainly would have shoved that hand away immediately, but since it  _was_ him, Hyungwon resolved to biting his tongue. He watched out of his peripheral vision as Kihyun walked away from the lunch table, leaving behind that small scrap of paper, which he had reminded Hyungwon of right before leaving. 

 _"Please do call,"_ he had said.  _"If not me, then Minhyuk, at least."_

So unusual, this day turned out to be...

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof slow updates what did I tell you
> 
> also just wanted to say thank you to anyone who's reading this, I hope you're enjoying it and maybe I'll get to hear from you some day?? 
> 
> till next time~


	5. H.P.S (Hoseok Protection Squad)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Hyungwon meets Hoseok's friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's back
> 
> pls accept this poorly written chapter

Hyungwon was quite fond of Saturday mornings. He didn't have to be disturbed by an alarm by any kind, he didn't have to worry about having to get out of bed at a certain time. He was free to sleep in as late as his little heart desired, being able to rest easy knowing that he didn't have to be anywhere or do anything. 

Then at exactly eight A.M. his phone buzzed - a text message. 

Hyungwon felt his brow furrow deeply, all on its own, out of the irritation that surfaced due to this small disturbance. He knew who had texted him. There was only one person it could be, after all. 

 

 **Hoseok:** heyyy hyungwon :)

hope this isnt 2 early

**Hyungwon:**

it is

**Hoseok:**

oh

oops

sry hyungwonie

**Hyungwon:**

what u wnat this erly in the morning

better b good

**Hoseok:**

:)))))))))

it is

i want u 2 meet my friends hyungwonie

so i was thinkin we could all go out 2 breakfast 2gethr

 

Curiosity stopped him from denying Hoseok right away. His fingers hovered over the keyboard momentarily, head filling with questions as to what kind of people these friends of his were - not that Hyungwon was particularly keen on meeting new people, but again, sometimes he simply didn't have control over the things he wanted to know. 

 

**Hyungwon:**

how many ppl we talking

i dont like crowds

or mornings

and both is a terrible combination

its like pourin salt on a slug

**Hoseok:**

just 2 ppl

and ill treat u, if thats any motivation for going :))

**Hyungwon:**

....fine

but only 4 the food

**Hoseok:**

:) of course

**Hyungwon:**

time and place?

**Hoseok:**

omf i cant believ ur actually agreeing this is gr8

uhhhhh

ok u kno Chulsoon's Diner

**Hyungwon:**

seen it b4

never been there

i dont rly get out much

but ive passed it on the way 2 skool

so i kno where it is

**Hoseok:**

ok cool cool

b there by nine k??

**Hyungwon:**

wtvr

the food better b fcn increibl

 

Truth be told the food was the last thing on his mind. Even after he had arrived at the entrance of the diner, wearing a casual outfit of jeans and a black shirt he had lazily thrown together, what Hyungwon was thinking about was not what he would be consuming that morning, but who would be joining Hoseok and him for that morning meal. He wished he didn't dwell on it so much. He wished he were a little more apathetic, like he usually was, but it seemed that when it came to Hoseok, feeding his brain with answers would be the only thing he could do. 

Upon seeing Hoseok approaching from further down the sidewalk, Hyungwon rolled up his sleeve, pretending to glance at a watch that wasn't there and make it seem as though he had been waiting for a while. It worked - fooling Hoseok, that is. The blond quickened his pace before long and skidded to an abrupt stop in front of Hyungwon, who released a great sigh shortly after and shook his head in disappointment. 

"It's about time," he said, then peered behind Hoseok. "Didn't think I'd be the first to get here. And it appears neither of your friends are anywhere in sight-"

"They'll be here soon," Hoseok blurted, out of breath. "I swear, and I didn't mean to be so late, Hyungwon, I just, I mean, my mom-"

"It's fine."  _Wait, is it actually past nine o'clock?_ "I don't really care. I'm just hungry, that's all."

"Right." The blond straightened his posture, gave a tug at the hem of his navy blue tee, then gestured at the door of the diner. "We can go in," he said, "and at least find a seat. Like I said, they should be here any minute, so-"

Hyungwon didn't hesitate to push open the door and step inside. There wasn't a waiting line - thank goodness for that, Hyungwon despised waiting for anything. A waitress approached him with a smile and politely asked if anyone would be joining him this morning, to which Hyungwon responded, "Party of...of...four?"

"Yes, four," Hoseok confirmed, stepping up behind Hyungwon. The waitress - she couldn't have been much older than the two boys- blushed a little upon seeing Hoseok, who smiled at her, and Hyungwon rolled his eyes when the waitress faltered in her next words, which were meant to guide the boys to an empty table. Once they were seated, Hoseok kindly informed her that they would need some time, as their other friends had yet to arrive. So she left. But not before stealing another glance at the oh-so-handsome Hoseok. 

"You're so annoying."

"What?"

"Nothing." Exhaling slowly, Hyungwon picked up a menu and began to scan it. His stomach growled. Now that he was this close to food - or, the images of - he was all of a sudden feeling incredibly hungry, and he wanted to order everything, despite knowing that he wouldn't be able to eat it all. Hyungwon's stomach became filled awfully fast, which was bothersome when at times he wished it were a bottomless pit - that way he could eat more. A lot more. But alas, he knew his limits, and so he mentally decided on a simple breakfast of rice, seasoned bean sprouts, and pork. He subtly peered at Hoseok from over the top of his menu - the blond was currently scanning his own, licking his lips hungrily as he read over the various food dishes. 

Just then a bell rang, specifically a bell that signified another customer had entered the diner - or, in this case, two customers, both boys, both high-schoolers. It didn't take long for one of them to spot their friend sitting at a table near a corner of the diner, and, after vigorously tapping the shoulder of the other, taller boy, both made their way over to said table. 

And it startled Hyungwon, just a little. Because he had gotten himself busy reading the ingredients on the back of a hot sauce bottle. He would have continued to do so, had it not been for Hoseok's abrupt interruption. 

"Hey, I was wondering when you guys were gonna show up."

Hyungwon raised his head in a gradual, relaxed manner, and he laid eyes on the two boys who were currently standing by the table, eyes fixed on him. The taller had dark, fuzzy-looking hair and a face that gave him the impression of having quite the calm, laid-back demeanor. The other, slightly shorter boy had pale-brown bangs that covered his forehead, small pink lips now puckered, narrow eyebrows thrown up as he bobbed his head at Hyungwon, for whatever reason. As of now, the boy didn't really know what to think of them. He didn't know enough yet. 

"Hyungwon, these are my friends, Hyunwoo and Changkyun. Hyunwoo and Changkyun, this is Hyungwon."

The gentle-looking one, Hyunwoo, slid onto the bench next to Hoseok, while the puckered-lips boy, Changkyun, combed his hair back with one hand and claimed the empty spot on the bench beside Hyungwon. 

"It's nice to finally meet you," Hyunwoo said after a brief moment of silence. 

"Finally meet me?" Hyungwon cocked an eyebrow.

"Mhm," the boy next to him hummed, nodding his head. "Hoseok has told us  _all_ about you." Abruptly Changkyun turned to Hyungwon, who flinched and scooted closer to the window. Changkyun, in turn, scooted closer to him but returned to his original spot promptly upon receiving one of Hyungwon's signature death glares. A chuckle spilled out of his mouth. "Yup." He laughed again. "He told us about  _that,_ too."

At this moment Hyungwon felt the need to gaze up at the boy who had apparently let his mouth run a little too much around his friends. Instead of apologizing, however, Hoseok's cheeks grew red, and he forced a loud cough, glancing at Changkyun in a way that screamed,  _"Please shut up."_ Changkyun didn't, though, because that wasn't his style. He broadened a cheeky smile and happily resumed talking. 

"So, Chae Hyungwon..." Changkyun began tapping his fingers against the table's surface. "How long have you and Hoseok known each other?"

"Chang, cut it out, you already know the answer to that."

"Hush now, Hyunwoo-nie, I'm being a conversationalist."

"Excuse me?"

The four boys turned simultaneously to the waitress who had returned to them, pen and notepad in hand. One by one they each gave her their orders, and in within the minute, she was gone again. Changkyun cleared his throat. However this time, before he could open his mouth to speak, Hoseok interrupted in a suspiciously rushed manner - almost as though he was afraid of what Changkyun would say. 

"So..." Smiling, he took in the expressions of each of his friends. "I know this sounds really cheesy, but why don't we go around and all say something about ourselves?"

"What are we, in elementary school?" Changkyun stifled a laugh. "Fine." He turned to the one sitting beside him. "Hyungwon, right?"

Hyungwon pursed in lips, narrowing his gaze at the boy. "Yes."

"Cool. Well, instead of doing what he said, I'm gonna ask you a question, Hyungwon: is Hoseok actually your friend, or are you just leading him on until you can find the right opportunity to strike him just like everyone else?"

It caught him off guard - not only Hyungwon, but Hyunwoo and Hoseok, too. Each of them now stared at the boy with the golden-brown locks, all with evidently shocked expressions; however each varied slightly. Hyunwoo seemed to understand the reason behind the question, but he was surprised that his friend had the guts to voice it. Hoseok, on the other hand, blinked his wide amber eyes, not believing what he heard, and moreover how raw and earnest it sounded. 

Hyungwon didn't know what to say. He didn't plan to 'strike him just like everyone else', as the blond's friend had worded it, but oddly enough, Changkyun's words affected him in a way he couldn't quite describe. The boy's smile was gone. His facial features were taut, Hyungwon could see, eyebrows drawn close together in what could be considered the closest a person could get without scowling. His lips were tight, too, waiting to peel apart again once Hyungwon would give his reply. This was an act of defense, protection of some kind for none other than Hoseok, and Hyungwon knew he was being tested. Realizing the long delay that followed the question, he wondered if he had already failed. Hyungwon swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I'm not leading anyone on," he said, ensuring he made direct eye contact with Changkyun. And that puzzled him.  _Why should I care about his opinion of me?_

"What reason do I have to trust you?"

"Not a single one," Hyungwon replied. "We only met today, as you know. I don't expect you to trust me at all. But lying isn't my style. I'm brutally honest with people, and that's why they don't like me. I'm not a pleasant person to be around. So it's beyond me why Hoseok wanted to be my friend in the first place, but he asked, and I...don't know." He looked down at his hands for a moment, folded on his lap. "I suppose I...I don't know, appreciated his persistence? In some form. I mean, it was annoying, but even though I didn't - and still don't - understand it, I didn't hate it. I've never had a friend. Not even someone who showed any interest in me. And yet Hoseok did, so what reason would I have to hurt him, especially for something that wasn't even his fault?"

None of them had expected that response, and that included Hyungwon, who surprised himself at the thoughts that somehow transported themselves from his head and down to his mouth, then into open air. But he had meant what he said - Hyungwon typically tended to be brutally honest with people, though rarely did that ever involve the expression of softer feelings, such as the ones he had unintentionally allowed to slip out just now. He regretted it for a long moment. Because straightaway after he finished speaking, silence followed, and his heart began to beat loudly and anxiously against his chest. He was in yet another unpleasant spotlight. 

Eventually Hyungwon urged himself to look up at Hoseok. And he  _immediately_  looked down again. 

_Bad idea. Very bad idea. He's got a funny look in his eyes._

"He's special."

This comment had been made by Hyunwoo, rather quietly, and Hyungwon couldn't figure out exactly to whom it was being said. He wasn't looking at anybody at the table - rather, Hyunwoo's inexpressive eyes were directed towards their waitress who was approaching and carrying the drinks they ordered. She soon set them down carefully on the table, then reassured the boys that their meals would arrive shortly. The second she had left, Changkyun inhaled deeply through his nostrils, making a glance at Hyungwon, then at Hyunwoo, then at Hoseok, then finally back to Hyungwon. And he exhaled.

"Yeah," he said as a late reply to Hyunwoo's statement. "He _is_ special, I guess."

"Does that mean he gets your approval?"

Hoseok shifted his gaze eagerly between Changkyun and Hyunwoo, who then made eye contact and underwent a short and silent conversation that ended with a solemn nod of the head from both boys.

"Yeah, he's alright." The subtlest of smiles graced Changkyun's face as he shifted his attention over to Hoseok. "We'll approve. But if he gives you any trouble, you hit us up, 'k?"

"That won't be necessary," the blond said with a laugh, amused by the familiar look of perplexity plastered on Hyungwon's face.  _He's too cute like this._ "I don't think I'll have to worry about him. He's not like the others."

Hyungwon blinked slowly, confusion morphing into annoyance. "You've literally known me for less than a week," he scoffed and squinted at Hoseok. "Also, I thought we were just having breakfast here, I was unaware I would be receiving an evaluation from Hoseok's parents."

"Mm, funny how things work out." Smile broadening, Changkyun boldly patted Hyungwon on the back and earned himself a scowl which he promptly disregarded. "No need to worry, though. You passed. We'll allow you to hang out with our son. We trust you to take good care of him, isn't that right, Sweetie?"

"Yes...Honey," Hyunwoo replied, hesitating at the nickname. 

At that moment the boys' waitress returned, skillfully carrying all of their orders on several trays. After setting them down carefully on the table, she apologized for the wait, explaining that they were short on staff this morning. Hyunwoo and Changkyun both assured her it was no trouble and thanked her, as did Hoseok, who couldn't avoid the girl's adoring gaze even if he wanted to. But he didn't seem all that interested - at least, that was Hyungwon's observation - but rather shy, and he only smiled to be polite. He almost looked relieved when she walked away, his shoulders which had momentarily tensed starting to relax.

The atmosphere relaxed as well. And Hyungwon was actually able to enjoy the rest of his morning - the food was quite good, and the diner wasn't too noisy or crowded. It became quiet and peaceful, and he didn't regret coming here. 

That is, until Hyunwoo and Changkyun both took out their phones and demanded for Hyungwon's number. And somehow - _somehow_ , despite how forcefully he refused and denied them - the two boys ended up with Hyungwon's number as the newest addition to their contacts list. 

"You guys are literally the worst."

"Love you, too, Hyungwon-nie."

_"Don't call me that."_

 

 

 

 

Hoseok and Hyungwon stood outside the entrance to the diner. The blond was bidding farewell to his friends who both lived in the same direction, and which happened to be in the opposite direction of where he and Hyungwon lived. The dark-haired boy tapped his foot impatiently. He honestly didn't know why he didn't go ahead on his own, but here he was, waiting for Changkyun to stop waving his hands in the air, and for Hoseok to stop waving back. He groaned and crossed his arms. 

"You done yet?"

Moments after Hyungwon voiced this question, Changkyun at last spun around and  _didn't_ turn back around again, meaning that Hoseok could pay attention to him now. The blond smiled apologetically. 

"Right. Let's go."

So the two started on their way home. Hyungwon kept his head facing down, staring at his feet, trying his best to ignore the fact he could feel Hoseok staring at him. 

"So?"

"So what?" Hyungwon buried his hands into the pockets of his jeans. 

"What did you think of them?"

A part of him had predicted this question, oddly enough, yet he wasn't any more prepared to answer it legitimately. "Weird," he said - it was the first adjective that popped into his mind. 

Hoseok laughed softly. "That's it? Just weird?"

"And they seemed awfully protective of you."

Hyungwon heard him give a thoughtful hum, and he watched out of his peripheral vision as the boy's attention fell to the ground in front of him as a fond smile found its way to his lips. "Yeah." His voice was low, filled with an emotion Hyungwon couldn't decipher. "I guess they are. Especially Changkyun, he's...always had a habit of judging the people who try to get close to me."

"...I assume that has to do with your recent history of being bullied?"

Hoseok turned to Hyungwon. Hyungwon quickly turned away. 

"To some extent," said Hoseok, nodding his head. "Although, it's not entirely to do with my what happened with my father, though that has definitely... _heightened_ his critical behavior, you could say. The thing is, _Changkyun_ was the one who used to be bullied. When we were in middle school, people made fun of him all the time for stupid things, like the way he dressed outside of school, or the fact that didn't always get the best grades, or that his family babied and pampered him. I hated to see him on the verge of tears every day, so I started to eat lunch with him as a way of getting closer, and eventually I asked if we could be friends. He was so sweet and appreciative...and ever since, he's been carefully eyeing every single person who steps within five feet of me. He just wants to make sure I don't get hurt. It's his own special way of repaying me for what I did for him...at least that's what he's told me."

Hoseok drew in a deep breath as the two of them stopped at a red light. Hyungwon did, too, but internally, because he didn't want Hoseok to know he was thinking somewhat deeply about what he said, and he was afraid something as simple as audible breathing would suggest that. But he couldn't deny it to himself - he respected Changkyun, just a little now. Or perhaps if it weren't respect, then at least he understood why the boy acted the way that he did. And that was enough. Enough for Hyungwon not to immediately block both Changkyun's and Hyunwoo's numbers. Of course, he wouldn't go to the trouble of texting or calling them on his own accord, but maybe, just maybe, he would respond if they did so. 

Chae Hyungwon was a curious boy, after all.


	6. I Don't Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I just want to be alone," Hyungwon muttered. 
> 
> "Well, why did you come to the library? There are lots of people here."
> 
> "It's a quieter atmosphere," he explained. 
> 
> "Are you upset about something?"

Sundays were lazy days. Even lazier than Saturdays. For Hyungwon, they were usually spent entirely at home, alternating between sitting on his bed with his face in his phone and at the kitchen table munching on whatever snacks happened to be stocked in the cabinets. They were quiet days. His parents both worked. Jonghee was usually out on a date with his girlfriend. Hyungwon basically had the house to himself the entire day. So it surprised him when he went downstairs to the kitchen early in the afternoon only to find Jonghee with his legs propped up on one of the chairs around the table, his arms crossed across his chest and a furious, strict-like aura enveloping him. Hyungwon froze the second he stepped into the room.

"You're not going out with Seoyun?"

His words were met with silence for a solid minute. Jonghee breathed in gradually, glancing away from his brother, but only for a moment. 

"I am," he said, "but not till later. I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you, so goodbye."

_"Hyungwon."_

He stopped in his tracks. The sternness of Jonghee's tone prevented him from exiting the kitchen, and so he slowly turned himself around again and made his way over to the table, where he pulled out a chair and sat down. Jonghee then uncrossed his arms and rested them against the surface of the table, leaning forward as he eyed his brother's expression. It got under Hyungwon's skin - the way Jonghee would adjust his posture as a way of asserting authority, despite the two being brothers,  _twin_ brothers. Maybe he would have a little more respect for him if Jonghee were older. But he wasn't. They were the same age, separated by a mere few minutes, and yet often did it appear Jonghee disregarded that fact. Hyungwon hated it. And he hated how often he gave in.

"It seems you don't remember what I told you last time," Jonghee began in usual lecturing voice, "about  _him._ "

"Him," Hyungwon repeated, monotonously and uncaringly. It was all an act, though; he could already feel his insides compressing with anger. "Pray tell, who is 'him'?"

"Cut the crap, Hyungwon, I'm talking about Hoseok."

"What about him?"

He was pretending to be ignorant, and he had a feeling Jonghee knew this. That was the reason for the veins which threatened to make themselves visible on the boy's head, the reason for his tightly clenched fists which he seemed to be restraining from slamming against the table. 

"Hyungwon, I'm only trying to look out for you," Jonghee said before long, gritting his teeth. "I didn't tell you to stay away from him for no reason. His father killed someone, Hyungwon. He killed an innocent man."

Of course he had to bring that up, Hyungwon thought bitterly. It was just as Hoseok said. Jonghee was comparing him to his father, so unjustly, despicably, and Hyungwon couldn't ignore how strongly it bothered him. He wanted Jonghee to stop talking. 

"Apparently Hoseok was really close with his father. You don't think he's capable of becoming something terrible? The people you hang out with can have a major influence on you, Hyungwon. I'm afraid you'll start to be like him. And turn into a monster or something."

Something snapped in his brain. It snapped and caused a switch to be flipped, turning off the camouflage on Hyungwon's true feelings and driving him to shove back his chair and stand up in a fit of overpowering frustration. He glared sharp daggers at his brother and dug his own nails into palms of his hands. He tried. He tried _so hard_ to repress his voice, to keep his thoughts buried in a pile and pushed to the back of his mind where they could be kept safe and unheard, but Jonghee's choice of words had a sinfully devious way of crawling into his head and resting there. Unwanted. 

"What would you know?!"

The sudden increase in volume startled Jonghee; however he still held on to his stern exterior. Because if that exterior crumbled, so would his pride.

"I bet you've never even spoken to Hoseok, have you?" Clicking his tongue against his teeth, Hyungwon shifted his attention away from his brother momentarily in disgust. "You say you're trying to look after me? How stupid do you think I am?! You're just jumping on the bandwagon of senselessly hating Hoseok. If anything,  _you're_ the monster, Jonghee."

He didn't hesitate to storm out of the house after that - conveniently he had actually chosen to get dressed today, whereas often he would spent his Sundays entirely in sleepwear. He didn't know where he would be going. He didn't care. He just wanted out of that house, away from Jonghee, who he had never felt more betrayed by his entire life. Hyungwon wouldn't put it past him to have been responsible for at least one of those cruel insults and comments written on Hoseok's locker and notebooks. The thought of that sickened him. He used to look up to Jonghee. Admired him, to an extent, because everyone seemed to love him, and he was good at everything. But Hyungwon knew better - now more than ever. Perhaps that was why he became so defensive over Hoseok. If it had been someone else to talk trash about him, maybe it wouldn't have hurt so much. 

As Hyungwon walked briskly down the sidewalks, he strove to push every thought of Jonghee out of his mind, and it didn't surprise him what a difficult task that turned out to be. He needed to find some place with a relaxing atmosphere, some place he could decompress. Some place quiet. Peaceful. 

His feet soon led him to the library, the nearest one to his house which was a little over a mile away. After walking through the open doors, he made his way to the section of the building where students often went to study, and he was relieved to find it not overly crowded. There were a small handful of teens scattered in the area, a few of which were on their phones instead of using the library for its intended purpose, but they were silent, so Hyungwon didn't really care. He found an empty table, pulled out one of the wooden chairs and sat down, resting his head in the crook of his elbow. 

_This is a little better,_ he thought, once his breathing had returned to a normal, steady pace.  _This is what I need. I'll just stay here for an hour or two. Jonghee should be out of the house by then._

"Hyungwon?!"

He jumped - the close proximity of the exclamation, as well as the abruptness of it, caused Hyungwon to raise his head, wide and demanding eyes turning to the one who had disturbed his peace. 

It was the boy he had saved from the path of an oncoming car. Hyungwon squinted as he struggled to recall the name. "...Min-...hyuk?"

Minhyuk's face lit up, suggesting he was both surprised and delighted that Hyungwon actually remembered him. Excitedly he claimed an empty chair at the table, eyes sparkling as he stared at the downcast Hyungwon, almost expectantly. But it didn't take long for the boy's enthusiasm to fade - gradually, but he did at some point realize that Hyungwon wasn't here for pleasure. 

"Is...something wrong?" Cocking his head to one side, Minhyuk peered at Hyungwon's face in an attempt to decipher it. He pouted. So did Hyungwon. 

"I just want to be alone," Hyungwon muttered. 

"Well, why did you come to the library? There are lots of people here."

"It's a quieter atmosphere," he explained. 

"Are you upset about something?"

Hyungwon stuck out his bottom lip even further. He wondered for a second if the library had been a bad choice after all... "Why are you so concerned?" He asked in a somewhat harsh whisper. "It's not like I'm your close friend or anything."

"Um, we became immediate besties when you saved my life," laughed Minhyuk, as though this was an obvious fact. Hyungwon made a face of discontentment. 

"Minhyuk-ah, I found what I was looking f-..."

A new voice. Hyungwon shifted his gaze over to yet another familiar face, the face of the prince-like Yoo Kihyun, who stared back at him as the slightest smile formed. 

"Hyungwon, you're here? What a pleasant surprise."

Minhyuk suddenly spun around in his chair and whispered -  _loudly_ whispered - to his friend, "Hyungwon's upset about something, Kihyun-nie."

_I knew it. I was right. Coming here was a mistake._

Hyungwon watched in dismay as the prince claimed an empty chair on the other side of Hyungwon. Setting down carefully the books he was carrying, Kihyun rested his arms atop the table and fixed his eyes on Hyungwon, who tried - he really did try - to look away, but Kihyun's presence truly was a difficult one to ignore. 

"Do you need someone to talk to, Hyungwon?" The prince asked kindly. "Minhyuk and I can offer our ears. You can go ahead and say what's on your mind."

The boy in question sunk into himself. He wanted to keep to himself, but Kihyun was too powerful, even without lifting a finger. It was inexplicable. Hyungwon opened his mouth to speak. 

"It's my brother."  _Here I go. Maybe talking will help...I don't know._ "I got into a fight with him..."

"...about?"

"About Hoseok."

"Shin Hoseok?"

"Yeah..." He began to twiddle his thumbs mindlessly. "He's been really angry with me lately...for hanging out with that guy. He's like everyone else...talking about Hoseok like the guy's a criminal. I hate it. And I hate that I hate it. But I do, because Hoseok's the first friend I've ever had. And Jonghee's supposed to be my supportive brother, but he's been anything  _but_ that for a while now. I'm frustrated. And I just wanted to get away from him for the time being."

"And that's what led you here."

"That's what led me here."

Sympathy painted itself across Kihyun's complexion, and he released a deep breath, reaching out to pat Hyungwon's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said softly. "To be honest with you, I've been kinda disgusted with those people...I mean, the ones who've been treating Hoseok so cruelly. I don't know him well, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy at all to me. But you know how people are. Some like looking down on others because it makes them feel good about themselves. And I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the students at our school don't even fully understand why they look at Hoseok like he's a freak. It's...become a sort of bandwagon, you know?"

"Exactly."

Kihyun understood. And Hyungwon subconsciously felt glad at this. He wasn't alone. 

"I agree with Kihyun-nie," Minhyuk added, smiling at Hyungwon. "I never really got why everyone always gossiped about him. It seems unfair...I always feel bad when I see him get things from his locker."

"Mm..."

It was at this moment Kihyun's smile returned, and he made sure to keep it in tact until Hyungwon looked at him again. "It's good to know," he began, "that he's got someone now. I'm sure he appreciates you more than you think. You take good care of him, okay?"

_"We trust you to take good care of him."_

Hyungwon felt a strange jolt in his chest upon recalling Changkyun's words - was this his responsibility now? Looking after that peculiar, puppy-like boy? He didn't comprehend how he got in this situation, but he had a funny feeling things would be much different from here on out. It was okay, though, because he was prepared - well he wasn't, but he convinced himself that he was.

And that would suffice for now. 


	7. Who are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A school trip to a scenic hiking spot leads to a number of interesting - and some might say fortunate - occurrences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had a mini-heart attack y'all i posted this a couple minutes ago and ao3 made like a couple thousand words disappear??
> 
> anyway here's an extra long chapter, enjoooy

Hyungwon hadn't really been paying attention, and he had forgotten about it completely until the morning of, when Hoseok texted him concerning it. 

 

**Hoseok:**

school trip 2day :D

sounds like it'll b fun actually

i luv hiking

wbu hyungwonie??

 

 

Yes, they were scheduled to go on a school trip today. Hyungwon very vaguely recalled their teacher mentioning something about a hike, and about how the site where they would be hiking had some sort of historical significance, and that was their reason for going. But Hyungwon couldn't care less. He would much rather stay in bed and sleep all day than spent six hours walking on some stupid forest path; however, though he surprised even himself, Hyungwon wasn't one to play hooky. So he got up out of his bed as usual, put on his uniform, and went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast before leaving the house. Jonghee hadn't gotten up yet -  _and thank goodness for that,_ he thought. He had been avoiding his brother ever since their fight. He still hadn't cooled down from it. And he wondered if he would for a while. 

Hyungwon arrived at school earlier than usual. He found Hoseok standing at the front gate and heaved a sigh of exasperation when he saw the blond begin to wave enthusiastically at him -  _does he have to be so dramatic? Just wave normally, or don't at all._

"Morning!" He greeted happily. Hyungwon gave a small grunt in response. His eyes wandered around the school grounds, soon directing his attention towards the several large buses nearby he assumed would be taking them to the hiking site. 

"Do you walk often, Hyungwon?"

He faced Hoseok, who now gazed at him curiously with a cute smile -  _cute? No, not cute. Stop that._

"Occasionally," he said, looking down as he scraped his sneaker against the pavement. "But only if I'm really bored...or I want to get out of the house for some reason."

"I see. I try to go on a long walk at least once a week. It's a great way to clear the mind and relax, you know?"

"...you sound like an old person."

"I...I do?"

"Yeah."

Internally laughing at Hoseok, Hyungwon turned himself around and started on his way to his classroom, where he would then sleep peacefully - or not so peacefully, depending on whether or not his classmates planned to leave him be today - until it was time for all the students to pile onto the buses and leave for the trip. Hoseok followed after him, of course. He just couldn't bring himself to leave that boy alone. 

The two had made it halfway down the hall when they crossed the path of Yoo Kihyun, who put on a pleasant smile upon spotting the boys. He stopped them with a friendly greeting. 

"Good morning, Hyungwon, Hoseok."

 _Oh no._   _Not here, everyone can see._

Hyungwon turned to the prince tentatively while Hoseok beamed and waved. 

"Mornin'," he mumbled. 

"How are you this morning?" Kihyun asked, looking closely at the skin under Hyungwon's eyes. "You look well rested."

"I do?"

For some reason Hoseok felt the need to observe the same spot Kihyun did, so he moved himself to stand directly beside the prince and look at Hyungwon again. "Huh," he soon said, nodding. "He does. Why didn't I notice that? D'you get more sleep than normal or something?"

It seemed like such an odd thing to be asked. At least for him. Typically people weren't so observant of things to do with him, but then again, he wondered, maybe Kihyun was simply an observant person in general. "I guess," he replied with hesitance, "I fell asleep a little earlier than I normally do. I don't really know."

The prince gave a brief nod of the head. "That's good," he said. "You should get more sleep more often. You look quite handsome without dark circles."

After dropping this atomic-bomb of a compliment on Hyungwon, Kihyun waved goodbye to the two boys and continued on his walk to his classroom, his casual strides attracting lots of attention as they usually did - he was a head turner, through and through, no matter what he did. But some people overheard. Some people heard the word  _handsome_  slip out of those pretty pink lips of his, and that fact Hyungwon's name had been attached to it made many of them double-take. After all, Kihyun wasn't the type to just nonchalantly hand out compliments if he didn't truly mean them. 

"...are you blushing, Hyungwon?"

"I'm not."

"I wouldn't blame you. If Yoo Kihyun told me  _I_ was pretty, I'd be blushing, too-"

"He said  _handsome,_ not  _pretty_."

"Close enough."

 

 

 

 

Approximately twenty minutes later and Hyungwon found himself outside again, now caught in the jumble of impatient students pushing each other to get onto the buses. At one point some dude nearly elbowed him in the face, and it took every ounce of self-restraint he had in him not to kick that boy in the shins. He calmed down just a tad once he had finally stepped onto the bus. Lackadaisical eyes searched for the first set of empty seats he could find - towards the middle of the bus, they were, as the students who had boarded before him all chose to sit towards the back of the bus.  _Whatever,_ he thought to himself. It didn't matter to him. He walked over to the seat his eyes picked out and he sat down. Hoseok made no hesitation to sit beside him, feeling satisfied and, in some way, accomplished when Hyungwon  _didn't_ fire a disapproving glare in his direction.

Hoseok's gaze, not knowing where else to go at the moment, turned towards the front of the bus where other students continued to appear, one by one. That was when he saw it -  _them,_ rather. Two boys, both with hooded jackets shielding the tops of their heads, but to Hoseok, right now, their faces were visible, and familiar, when they shouldn't have been. No, he had to rub his eyes thoroughly just to make sure he wasn't hallucinating the images of his friends - who, as was established, went to a  _different_ school. Still doubting himself, Hoseok blinked repeatedly, mouth gaping as Changkyun and Hyunwoo made their way towards him and claimed the empty row in front of his. 

By this point Hyungwon was staring, too. And he was just as puzzled as Hoseok. 

"W-wait a second..."

Changkyun beamed at the two of them as he waved through the gap between the rows. "Hey."

_"Don't 'hey' me. What are you doing here?!"_

Flinching at the harsh whisper, the boy with the golden-brown hair placed a finger over his lips, arching his brows. "Sshh!" He turned to Hyunwoo. "Hyunwoo-ah, explain him the thing."

Hyunwoo looked at him like he had sprouted another head. "What? No, you. This was your idea."

"No, now don't tell him that. Hoseok will think ill of me."

"Chang, if he hasn't thought ill of you by now, he never will."

"Um, hurtful."

_"Changkyun."_

"Yes? My darling Hoseok-ah?" He intertwined his fingers and fluttered his eyelashes innocently. But he wasn't fooling Hoseok. Or Hyungwon, for that matter. And frankly, neither of the two were willing to wait a moment longer for him to provide an explanation. Soon realizing this, Changkyun cleared his throat while at the same time pulling down the hood of his jacket. "I heard you guys were going on a trip," he began, once again to pass off innocence, this time with his silvery tone of voice, "and I really wanted to go. And I thought to myself, 'hey, our uniforms are similar, I bet I could get away with accompanying Hoseok on the trip easily without getting caught, and it could be fun'. And so here we are."

Hoseok glanced at Hyunwoo. "And how on  _earth_ did you convince him to tag along??"

"Bribed him."

"With?"

"Tickets to a BTS concert."

"Ah." And all of a sudden Hoseok understood. "I see how it is." Sighing, he shook his head in disappointment, simultaneously yielding to the fact that he wouldn't be able to make Changkyun ditch this ridiculous plan of his and get off the bus. So he simply admonished them. "Just keep in mind that you guys could get in a  _lot_ of trouble if you're found out. Do you realize that? Hyunwoo, I'm sure you do, but Changkyun, I don't want you getting in t-"

"Relax, relax." Changkyun laughed quietly, a smug expression taking shape. "That won't happen. I mean, c'mon, realistically, with this number of students, what one person is gonna be able to pick out a couple of unfamiliar faces, huh?"

Upon giving it some thought, Hoseok agreed that Changkyun made a fair point; however, little did any of them know that there was one person...

Kihyun was one of the last to board the bus - by this point there were only a mere scatter of seats available, and so he had trouble at first deciding where he should go, despite the several girls eagerly inviting him to sit by them. Oh, how he grew weary of them... Scarcely he withheld a sigh and motioned for his friend to take the seat beside some gentleman - the boy was fast asleep already, head leaning against the window - and he would choose to deal with whatever options were left. After all, he valued Minhyuk above all else, and the last thing he would wish for was Minhyuk being forced to endure their incessant questions. Now don't get him wrong, Kihyun had nothing against girls, but these ones were exceptions. Invaders of personal space, suckers for pretty faces. Such a shame there weren't any rows of two left. He would just have to accept it, though. It wasn't like the teachers would permit him to go on a different bus when there were available seats here. 

He started on his way towards the first empty spot that caught his eye, but something stopped him. A boy with golden-brown hair, thin lips and eyebrows and a defined nose. Kihyun had never seen him before. And Kihyun considered himself a rather observant and non-forgetful person. It was one of his most admirable traits. He couldn't recall seeing him around school, not once, not ever. And that bothered Kihyun. He couldn't describe it, but there was a funny feeling in his stomach that guided him over to the row that boy was on. 

"Um, excuse me."

Changkyun froze - like a toddler caught red-handed in the middle of a naughty deed, he slowly and guiltily craned his neck to gaze up at the pink-haired boy now standing over him with skepticism apparent in his handsome face. 

"Hey."

"Hey," Kihyun replied. He titled his head. "Sorry if I'm being rude, but I don't remember seeing you before. Do you mind if I ask what class you're in?"

He couldn't slither out of this. Changkyun had to respond, in one way or another. He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Umm, I, well-"

"H-he's in my class!" Hoseok blurted. "They both are!" Panic had so abruptly gripped his tongue and forced this out of him - not a bad excuse, Hyungwon thought, at least for it having been made in the spur of the moment. 

"Both...?"

Kihyun hadn't taken notice of the person sitting on Changkyun's right. Perhaps it was because of how silent he had been, or the fact that a hood was yet covering his head, or both of those things. However that hood was removed the moment Kihyun's gaze found its way to him. Gradually it was peeled off like a layer of skin. Hyunwoo raised his head and made tentative eye contact with Kihyun. 

And that was when the bullet struck him - Kihyun, that is. One look into those eyes, one look at that beautifully tan face and those full lips and that adorably guilty - yet oddly innocent?? - expression, and Kihyun's heart did a backflip. It caught him off guard, truly. He opened his mouth, not expecting himself to find difficulty in speaking, but alas, that was precisely what he found the  _most_ difficult right now. 

"Y-...I don't...rec-..." The longer Hyunwoo stared at him with those - _inexplicably captivating -_ eyes _,_ the warmer Kihyun's face became. He could feel himself blushing, and he wondered just how visible it was to other people.  _What the heck is wrong with me??_ He would have slapped himself if it wouldn't have made his situation even more obvious.  _Come on, get a coherent sentence out, you idiot._ "You're..."  _Come on, come on._ "...in the same class as Hoseok, too?"

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to say. But he'd take it. He would take anything coherent, considering the jumbled state of his brain and chest right now. 

"Yes," lied Hyunwoo, pouting.

 _Oh no, don't do that, that's freaking adorable. Who are you??_ "I see..." Again, not what he wanted to say, but what else was he supposed to do? Stutter like a fool while trying to press his argument as to why these two gentlemen were not, in fact, classmates of Hoseok's? Unlikely. Kihyun had some sense of dignity, as well as enough sense in him to walk away and sit down before Hyunwoo - or any of the others - caught on to him. Of course, that is to say, if they hadn't already. Kihyun sat down beside some girl who straightaway turned as red as a cherry when he looked at her, and he smiled as politely as he could, picturing himself having been just as red mere moments ago.  _How embarrassing,_ he thought aloud. The girl beside him made a questioning hum. He waved his hand as if to say, "It's nothing." 

Thankfully, relievingly, this girl was a bit more respectful than most, and she simply said, "Okay, then" and turned to look out the window as the bus began to pull away. Naturally, however, even though she kept to herself, thoughts of Kihyun spun around in her little head. How unfortunate for her that the prince's head was filled with thoughts of someone else. 

He cursed himself for not getting a name.  _What a horrible first impression I've made. I bet he thinks I'm a total weirdo now. Ugh, this sucks._ Biting his tongue, Kihyun reached into his backpack and took out his phone - he was several rows away from MInhyuk, so he couldn't talk to him verbally, but that was okay, technology was a beautiful thing. 

 

**Kiki:**

minhyuk-ah

we have an issue on our hands

**Minmin:**

'o' what is it??

**Kiki:**

dont make any audible noises, but i

just laid eyes on the most gorgeous human

being ive ever seen

**Minmin:**

OMF KIHYUNNIE

FR

WHO???? WHERE??

**Kiki:**

minhyuk-ah stop violently spinning

ur head around i can see u

**Minmin:**

SORRY

ILL STOP NOW TELL EM

*ME

**Kiki:**

this may sound strange but i hav a sneaking

suspicion he doesnt go 2 this school

anyway

hes on this bus

and all i was trying 2 do was ask what class

he was in

andd i freakigsns uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusagh

im mad i hate this

**Minmin:**

Y WUTS WRONG

**Kiki:**

love at first sight is just a myth right

ohh mygosh did i srsly just ask that

smth's wrong w/ me minhyuk-ah

**Minimin:**

AKJGKDSFKLSFLASDDSG

 

Slipping his phone carefully into his backpack, Kihyun folded his arms and tried his best not to look conspicuous as he peered ahead at the boy three rows in front of him. He couldn't really get the best view - all he could see was a partial side-profile when Hyunwoo turned to talk to Changkyun, then a little broader view when Hyunwoo would shift slightly to look back at Hoseok. 

There was no doubt in his mind. These two boys were from another school. Other than Hyungwon, Hoseok had no other friends here, so that simply  _had_ to be the case. 

 _Whatever, I'm no tattle-tale._ He breathed a quiet breath.  _But maybe...I could use the threat of exposure as a method of learning about him._ Kihyun mentally hive-fived himself, stealing one last glance at that beautiful boy before leaning back in his seat.  _We'll see..._

 

 

 

 

Forty-five minutes later and the buses at last pulled into a miniature parking lot near to the hiking site. One by one - well, it was  _supposed_ to be one by one - the students all stepped off the large vehicles and were immediately directed to stay in a group along with everyone who was on their bus. Each group would be taking one of several different paths, then at some point joining together at a picnic area for lunch. And seeing as the trip here took a bit longer than expected, they wanted to start right away.

Minhyuk casually slipped through the crowd until he met up with Kihyun. He then not-so-subtly nudged his friend's arm. "So? Where is he??"

_"Minhyuk, not so loud."_

"Sorry." He paused shortly, lowered his voice, then asked again, "Where is he?"

Kihyun wasn't quite sure, so he had to twist his head around to check for the boy with the fuzzy black hair and attractive face - not far away, he soon discovered. "Like, three people in front of us," he told his friend. "He's to the left of Hoseok...right over there, the one with the-...oh, wow, he's taller than I expected. If you're gonna look, don't make it so obvious."

Minhyuk moved his eyes across the several people walking ahead of him, then took a small step to the side so that he could get a better look of the boy's face. Unfortunately he couldn't see well from where he was. And he wouldn't be able to see the boy like  _Kihyun_  saw him until he was within two feet of his face. Not that Minhyuk would be as stricken by Hyunwoo as Kihyun was, the prince knew, but still...

The first ten minutes of the hike were spent on relatively flat, wide, easily-traveled upon forest floor with the only obstacles being the occasional large stone and exposed tree roots. But eventually the students found themselves beginning on a narrower path with a gradual incline, and on this path they were met with even more large stones and exposed tree roots, along with ditches and ruts in the ground that made it quite difficult to walk without having to stare at your feet the entire time. The teacher in charge of watching over their group advised them to watch their steps and avoid pushing and shoving so that no one would get hurt.

But sometimes accidents happen.

Minhyuk had been nearby when it occurred, and despite how oblivious he could be at times when it came to his surroundings, this wasn't something even he could overlook. 

Someone walking on the outer edge of the narrow pathway slipped on a loose rock and rapidly slid down the hill. And maybe it had been because Minhyuk identified him as the boy he sat next to on the bus, or because he had been the first to see it, but Minhyuk boldly and impulsively slid down the hill after him - of course, he did so much more carefully, knowing that if he injured himself on the way down, what good would he be able to do?

The boy who had fallen ended up at the bottom of the hill having rolled to his side. His eyelids and cheeks were smothered with dirt, as was his white shirt and his pants. He tried to lift himself off the ground but gave up within seconds. That was when Minhyuk took hold of his arm and draped it over his own shoulders, soon to stand up, slowly and as steadily as possible. 

"What hurts?"

The boy rubbed the dirt off his eyes with the hand that hadn't been as terribly scratched as the other. But Minhyuk could still see that it was bleeding. Not only that, but he could feel the boy trembling, even with the support he was offering. 

_"Minhyuk-ah!!"_

Minhyuk turned his attention to the top of the hill where Kihyun stood looking down, expression awfully frantic due to him believing his friend had fallen, too. But he soon caught on, and he felt a touch relieved. 

_"Is everything alright?!"_

"Not entirely!" Minhyuk called back. "He's hurt! Tell Teach' I'm gonna take him to the restroom where the buses are!"

_"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own??"_

"Yeah! You go on ahead!"

_"Call if you need anything!"_

"Will do!!"

Minhyuk turned around, wary not to twist the boy's feet in the process, just in case his ankles had been among the parts he injured - and judging by the quivering of the other's legs, Minhyuk decided it was safe to assume they weren't in the best condition. So he tried to be delicate in his walking, too, putting as much weight on himself as he could without risking the chance of toppling himself over. He wouldn't deny it, Minhyuk wasn't the strongest guy he knew, but he trusted himself enough to manage this task. His motivation for helping people went a long way. 

"Um..."

At last the boy spoke - he must have recognized him from the bus, too, Minhyuk thought, despite having been asleep the majority of the ride here. 

"I'm sorry, I don't...know your name."

"It's okay," Minhyuk assured him with a warmhearted laugh. "I don't know yours, either. I'm Minhyuk."

"...Jooheon."

 _Ah._ The gears of his mind slowed momentarily. This was him. Lee Jooheon, that boy whose father was murdered by Hoseok's own. His heart sank. 

"It's nice to meet you, Jooheon." He showed off a bright smile, then looked to the ground again to make sure he wasn't going to trip over anything. With his eyes on the forest floor, he failed to realize Jooheon's awestruck gaze was still fixed on him.

"Why'd you run down the hill? That was reckless."

"Why'd you  _fall_  down the hill? That was reckless."

"I-..." Jooheon made a face of dissatisfaction. "It was an accident."

"Well, that's why I ran down the hill," Minhyuk explained, glancing at him. "I saw there was an accident, and it was my instinct to do something about it. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's-..." A long stretch of silence. "...I was just thinking...it was really selfless of you to do."

Minhyuk gave a soft hum as Hyungwon's face popped into his mind. He kept quiet after that, and so did Jooheon. All the way until they reached the buses and the restrooms located just beside them. Minhyuk then assisted Jooheon in making it to said restrooms and lowering him carefully to the stained tan tiles. No one was here besides them. 

"Probably should do something about the blood first," said Minhyuk, noting the concerning amount of red on the back on Jooheon's left hand. His cheek, too. Minhyuk could see a trace of blood there as well, probably having been made by scraping it against sharp rocks and fallen branches. He scratched his head for a moment in deep thought. "Ah!"

Jooheon blinked. "What?"

"The bus!" Minhyuk exclaimed proudly. "I just remembered, one of our teachers always brings a first-aid kit when we go on outdoor trips. It's probably on one of the buses. I'll be right back!"

He rushed out of the restroom's opened door and ran over to one of the buses, proceeding to rapidly yet thoroughly inspect the overhead shelves on either side. Fortunately, it didn't take long at all. He found it - a little white box with a red cross on the front of it, containing essentials to tending to minor wounds and injuries. The box felt light, so Minhyuk took a peek inside just to make sure it wasn't empty - surely enough, everything appeared to be there. So he closed it again and hurried back to the restroom where he found Jooheon leaning his head against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut as he appeared to be in pain. He opened them again once he registered Minhyuk had come back.

The blond fell to his knees in front of him. "Before we even get started I'm gonna be honest and confess that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing."

"Fair enough," said the other. "Neither would I."

Jooheon watched as Minhyuk opened the first aid kit and took out a couple basic supplies - bandages and towelettes and a small plastic bottle of water. And he got to work, pulling out one of the towelettes from its package and pouring onto it some of the water - which wasn't necessary, seeing as he was in a restroom and had access to water from the sinks, but he did anyway, because the bottle was closer. Then he placed the damp towelette against Jooheon's cheek and held it there for a few seconds before softly beginning to wipe the blood-marked area. Jooheon remained as still as he could. A part of him, without even knowing, was just a little bit entranced by the delicacy of this boy's actions, and oh how gentle, and how he maintained a concentrated expression while at the same time holding a certain calmness and kindness in his eyes. 

He recognized him vaguely - Minhyuk was that incredibly smiley boy who hung around Kihyun all the time at school. Jooheon knew Kihyun. They used to talk, not frequently, but every now and then, and he even had Kihyun's number in his phone. But he had never spoken to Minhyuk before now. 

"Okay, your face isn't too bad," the blond said before long, moving his head around to check if there were any cuts or bruises he had missed. Jooheon let out a quiet breath. 

"Gee, thanks."

"Hm? Oh!" Minhyuk giggled and gave Jooheon's right cheek a pat. "I didn't mean that way. You're really pretty, Jooheon. Like, Kihyun's level of pretty."

"Huh?"

"Alright, now we should probably do something about your ankle," Minhyuk continued, turning his eyes away before he could spot the blush creeping up on Jooheon's face. "Which foot hurt? Or was it both?"

"Uh...the...right one."

"Right foot? Okey-dokey, I'm gonna take off your shoe, then. Try to raise your foot for me, 'k?"

"...okay." 

Jooheon did as he was told, lifting his leg enough so that Minhyuk could easily remove the shoe and sock from his right foot. The blond then briefly inspected it, sighed, and said with relief, "It doesn't look that bad from the exterior. But if I know anything about sprained ankles, we should still wrap it in bandages and keep it elevated."

Minhyuk shifted his position so that Jooheon could rest the sprained foot on his lap. And he began to wrap it tightly yet tenderly in the elastic bandages included in the first-aid kit. 

"I thought you said you had no idea what you were doing."

Minhyuk smiled. "Mostly," he said. "I did have a sprained ankle before, though, and Kihyun helped treat it, so I guess I remember a little more than I thought I did."

"...thank you."

It came out as a soft whisper, genuine, but it might have been lost if there weren't absolute silence. But because of the quiet Minhyuk heard it loud and clear. He gazed into Jooheon's eyes. 

"Any time."

He placed his hand atop Jooheon's head and rubbed his soft black hair, all the while smiling that brilliant, toothy smile of his - it might have seemed like a bold move to anyone else. For Minhyuk, however, it was such a natural thing, because he was simply a naturally affectionate and friendly person.

Truly, Jooheon was captivated indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so soft for these couples send help
> 
> don't forget to like comment and subscribble
> 
> lmao i kid i kid
> 
> but also i love hearing from u guys so comment if u wanna, or just enjoy it in silence
> 
> k byeee


	8. He's Interesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kihyun's persistence leads him to chasing after Hyunwoo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof I'm getting lazy with the writing lmao
> 
> anyways enjoy?

Kihyun was a worrywart, he wouldn't deny it. Seeing Minhyuk slide rapidly down that hill established panic in his fragile heart, and he feared the worst had occurred until he realized the reason for Minhyuk's impulsive actions.  _Such a precious, selfless soul._ He felt like a proud mother, frequently wishing to shower his dear friend with praise for everything he did, regardless of - obviously - not having raised the boy, but he restrained himself so that he wouldn't come off as an overly doting and suffocating parent - Minhyuk already had two of those, and two was more than enough.

Kihyun knew that Minhyuk found joy in helping others on his own. That was the primary reason he didn't choose to go help him, despite how much he didn't want to leave Minhyuk behind, how he didn't want to be devoured by the crowds that always seemed to double in size whenever Minhyuk wasn't around. He was well aware that the reason wasn't linked to anyone disliking his friend -  _honestly, who could hate Minhyuk??_ \- rather, Kihyun had long since caught on to the fact that people wanted his attention. And it was no mystery that Minhyuk typically stole most of that attention.

It was such a petty thing to him, but at times he cursed his good looks and talents.

An idea suddenly popped into Kihyun's head. A brilliant one. At least he thought it was, save the reason for its brilliance being something that might not have seemed very kind: he could tag along with Hyungwon and Hoseok. With the amount of people who held a strong dislike for those two, perhaps they would choose not to bother with Kihyun for the time being.

Oh, and the fact that Hoseok's attractive friend would be present was a plus. But Kihyun wasn't thinking about that. _Nope. Not at all._

He peered over and between the students currently walking between him and the group of boys he desired to get to. Due to having stopped to check on Minhyuk, Kihyun was a little further behind than he had been.  _No worries,_ he told himself.  _I'll find a way._

Unfortunately, however, that wasn't the case. Hyungwon and the others only appeared to be getting further ahead as Kihyun remained in one spot, soon to be overtaken by a group of classmates who figured now would be the perfect time to strike up a conversation. Someone asked about where Minhyuk had gone. Another asked about Kihyun's skincare routine and where he had gone to dye his hair. And another asked if he were currently seeing anyone.

"Kihyun, it's been forever since we hung out. We should get together and play basketball!"

"Ah, sorry, I don't really play sports. I appreciate the offer, though."

"Kihyun-ssi, let me cook for you some time! I've been getting a lot better, my mom's been teaching me. I heard you cook really well, too!"

"Thank you very much, but you don't need to do that for me, really."

"Hey, Kihyun, you're really beautiful, has anyone ever told you that?"

"Mm. A little too often, I think..."

It was all the same. Many of these questions were recycled ones, sometimes asked by different people, sometimes the same came around again and again. It felt like a heavy weight that just grew heavier whenever Minhyuk wasn't by his side. And it baffled him, because why weren't that way with Minhyuk? To Kihyun, Minhyuk was an angel. An angel with the purest of hearts and a matchless personality. He could only hope that one day, someone worthy would come along and treat Minhyuk with the love and respect he deserved. But until that day came, Kihyun would gladly give him as much love as a boy's best friend could give. 

Thankfully, the treacherous forest path descended once again and granted the students a safer and easier place to walk. People began to spread out more, no longer having to walk in a narrow line and close behind one another, and Kihyun was at last able to get a clear view - there was even a relatively clear path, too - of Hyunwoo. He was prepared to do it. Kihyun prepared himself to quicken his walking pace enough to get him up there as fast but also as inconspicuously as possible. But then he abruptly recalled his embarrassment during their brief encounter on the bus, and he soon decided that perhaps it would be safer to approach Hyungwon or Hoseok instead. So he boldly took those brisk steps forward - before anyone else had the chance to accost him - and straight up to Hyungwon. 

"K-Kihyun??"

After having placed his hand on Hyungwon's shoulder without warning, Kihyun gave a soft laugh, smiling his princely smile. Hoseok leaned forward and smiled, too, although his was a bit less princely and more nervous, and Kihyun knew why. He winked at the blond and pretended to "zip" his mouth shut. 

"So do you guys mind if I tag along with you?" He then asked eagerly. It was at this point both Changkyun and Hyunwoo, who were standing on the other side of Hoseok, turned to look at Kihyun with equally questioning gaze. And once again Kihyun caught sight of 'those eyes'. They made his lips freeze all on their own. Luckily, though, he was able to stop that from being prolonged this time, and with a cheerful tone of voice he asked, "I forgot to ask for your names on the bus. Do you mind-?"

"Lim Changkyun." Changkyun beamed and stretched out his hand to shake Kihyun's. "And you're Kihyun?"

"I am," he replied, stifling another laugh. "And what about your other-..."  _Oh. Oh, he's staring at me._ "...friend."

After a few long seconds of silence, Hoseok reached over and lightly slapped Hyunwoo's shoulder. "C'mon, man," he whispered. "Introduce yourself."

"Uh-...Hyunwoo. Son Hyunwoo."

 _Hyunwoo, huh? Cute name. And he's got a cute voice, too..._  He mentally slapped himself on the forehead. _Oh_ , _shut up, Kihyun, you literally just met him..._

 

 

 

 

**Minmin:**

hey do i actually get service here??

ooh nice its working

im gonna stay at the bus with jooheon ok??

sry kihyun-nie :,(( 

i wanna b there w/u but id feel bad leaving him

here ya no

and it wouldnt b gud 4 him 2 try 2 

walk 4 a while

**Kiki:**

its ok minhyuk-ah

actually it would be better if u stayed

im sure jooheon would like the company

were u able to find the first aid kit?

**Minmin:**

yep :D hes all treated

i rmbrd evrything u told me bout

treatign  sprained ankles

**Kiki:**

RICE method?

**Minmin:**

yesyes

except i didnt have ice so i could only

do the rest, compression, elevation part

so it became the RCE method

**Kiki:**

thats good enough

proud of u <3

**Minmin:**

teehee <33

 

Kihyun slipped his phone into his backpack again, sighing as he pitied himself for having gotten separated from Hyungwon and the others. He had only wanted to reply to Minhyuk's text, but now he found that he had been left behind. He wasn't mad, though, after all he was the one who joined their group without an invitation. And it was certainly new to him, since he was so used to people waiting and searching for him constantly, but he knew that _these_ people were different. Hoseok and Hyungwon were never ones to go with the crowds. They probably didn't care one bit about Kihyun's popularity. And he liked that.

Disappointment befell him, however, when lunch time rolled around and all the groups met up at the picnic spot to eat. Because Minhyuk wasn't here, and he had a feeling he'd end up at some picnic table with a bunch of other people. 

It was then that Kihyun was approached by his saving grace. 

"Kihyun, hey, I've got a huge favor to ask you. Could Changkyun and Hyunwoo sit with you for lunch? I think it was okay earlier, since we were all walking as one big group anyway, but people might get really suspicious if they see me eating lunch with friends - well, other than Hyungwon - so I wanna play it safe, and I figured they'd blend in if they were with you. Um...is...that okay?" He paused for a moment. "Uh...you're...not gonna tell, right-?"

"No, of course not," Kihyun insisted, smiling as he waved his hand dismissively. "And that's fine. They can sit with me. I don't mind. Where are they?"

Hoseok pointed towards the two boys who were standing next to one of the wooden benches lining a small stream. They were both in the process of inspecting each other's lunches for whatever reason, and they looked up suddenly, almost as though sensing Hoseok and Kihyun were looking at them. Changkyun then threw one arm in the air and began to wave it back and forth violently -  _was he **trying** to draw everyone's attention?? _

"I'm sorry in advance about him." Hoseok let out a deep breath. "I bet you can guess already whose idea it was to come here, out of the two of them..."

"Mm." 

"Uh, I'm gonna...go back to Hyungwon now."

"You do that."

"Right...thanks again, Kihyun."

"No problem at all."

Well, that might have been a slight lie. As Kihyun made his way over to the bench where Changkyun and Hyunwoo were standing, he found himself feeling uncharacteristically shy. His heartbeat quickened with each step he took, and  _that_ was a problem. It was also a problem that the beautiful boy with the fuzzy black hair was very inconspicuously staring at him. 

 _It's probably because of my stuttering show on the bus, he thinks I'm weird now,_ Kihyun tried to tell himself, even though a part of him sensed something different in the boy's expression. 

"You guys don't mind if I join you?"

He typically had much more confidence than this. Even in the face of strangers, Kihyun was able to maintain his cool-headed demeanor without faltering in appearance or voice. So why was it that he felt so nervous in front of Hoseok's friends? The way they looked at him felt so bizarre - not in a discomforting way, but it was different, because he couldn't recognize what he was seeing in them. They were observing him like some sort of alien spectacle. Kihyun clenched his fists, trying not to show his unease at the long period of silence. _Why can't they just ans-_

"Yah, are you a secret friend of Hoseok's or something?"

"Pardon?" He looked to Changkyun, raising an eyebrow to show he didn't quite understand the question. To Kihyun's surprise, Changkyun and Hyunwoo glanced at each other simultaneously, then returned their attention to him at the same time as well. 

"You seem chill with him," the boy with the golden-brown hair went on to explain, "and I could be wrong, but it seems natural, and not an act. But I'm confused, he told us about Hyungwon, but not you...so is there some other reason you're nice to him?"

"W-...me? I'm-"  _What kind of question is this?_ "-Hoseok's given me no reason to be unkind, if that's what you're getting at. I don't really understand. He's a good person, as far as I'm concerned. To be honest with you the way other people treat him disgusts me. So..." His eyes wandered over to Hyunwoo, who he found to have acquired something akin to an approving gaze - not as noticeable as Changkyun's, but Kihyun could pick up the slightest trace of a warm change in the taller boy's expression, if that made sense. 

"Alright, you're cool, I guess." Changkyun plopped himself down on the bench and patted the empty spot beside him. "You can eat with us. Sit, Kihyun-ah. Can I call you Kihyun-ah?"

"I suppose so." Kihyun tentatively sat down. And Hyunwoo, seeing as the bench was large enough to adequately seat three people, sat down as well, triggering in the blink of an eye yet another bullet to strike the pink-haired boy. Kihyun tensed up.  _Don't show weakness, don't show weakness, you will not be swayed by his peculiar charm, you are a strong man, Kihyun, a strong m-_

"Your hair is a pretty color."

"Why thank-...you."

It didn't register at first that Hyunwoo had made this comment, and not, in fact, someone else. He was so used to receiving this very same compliment. However he didn't expect this quiet, indecipherable friend of Hoseok's to do so as well. Hyunwoo was staring at the top of his head now - Kihyun was slouching, and the other was already taller, so he now had a perfect view of the dyed hair in all of its glory. 

"Ah, look, Hyunwoo, it's shining," Kihyun heard Changkyun say. "Direct sunlight."

"Mm."

"Hyunwoo-nie, you should dye your hair."

"No, dyed hair doesn't look good on just anyone, Chang, you have to have the face for it."

"Matter of opinion."

"Fact."

"Matter of opinion."

"Well, why don't you dye  _your_ hair, then?"

"Don't want to. I like my hair."

"But what if I told you your hair looks dumb?"

"You'd be lying. You told me just the other day it looked handsome."

"I was kidding."

"No, you weren't."

"How would you know?"

"Because you're really bad at lying, Hyunwoo-nie."

"Whatever. I bet if Hoseok asked you to dye your hair you'd do it."

"...yeah, probably, but that's d-"

Changkyun was interrupted by the sound of laughter, genuine laughter that so unexpectedly was expelled from Kihyun's mouth. The boy sitting between Changkyun and Hyunwoo bent over and clutched his stomach - it appeared he had been in the middle of eating something, and his sudden burst of laughter nearly caused him to choke, but fortunately he was able to force it down before that happened. 

"You guys..." His laughter made his voice waver a bit. "...are hilarious. Seriously, I bet Hoseok never gets bored when he's with you. It's a shame you don't actually go to this school..."

Both suspects of the casually uttered accusation flinched noticeably, clearing their throats at the exact same time, which only made Kihyun laugh more. 

"By the way, I wanted to ask about that..." Now it was Kihyun's turn to clear his throat. He did so in a way that commanded the attention of the guilty party, who looked at their lunches, but listened closely as the pink-haired boy spoke. "What possessed you two?"

"It was Chang."

_"Hyunwoo-nie, you little snitch-"_

"He wanted to go and he bribed me, so I went, too."

Kihyun found Hyunwoo's blunt behavior awfully adorable - well, he found Hyunwoo in general awfully adorable, so much so that he couldn't help sneak a handful of glances at the boy sitting to his right and bask in this pleasant shyness he was feeling at the moment. It was new. But new was good.

Having a crush would be new, too, but Kihyun wasn't ready to admit that yet. No, it was too soon for his stubborn heart.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi.


	9. Maybe I Do Care a Little...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What part about 'I won't do it' didn't you understand??"
> 
> "The part where you lied."
> 
> "What?"

Hyungwon had subconsciously grown accustomed to being greeted by Hoseok at the school's entrance gate. So it struck him as a bit odd when he arrived at school one morning, only to find that the blonde, puppy-like boy wasn't waiting for him there as he usually did. Hyungwon tried to tell himself it was nothing and went straight to his classroom - Hoseok wasn't there, either. And he didn't show up before the bell rang for the start of the first class. No, it appeared Hoseok wasn't showing up at all today. It would be a lie for Hyungwon to say staring at the empty seat in front of him didn't feel a bit weird. Again, he had simply grown so used to having Hoseok here over these past few weeks. Reverting back to spending the entire day alone would - he never thought he would say this - be a little difficult. Or perhaps 'difficult' wasn't the right word. Hyungwon didn't know for sure; he was too bothered by his wondering why Hoseok might have chosen not to go to school today. 

Naturally, though, he wouldn't admit to himself that he was worried. But he was. The supposed self-centered, heartless Chae Hyungwon was worried about another human being.

Was Hoseok sick? That would come as a surprise. Hyungwon had been with him the previous day, after all, and he seemed perfectly fine and healthy then. Despite this fact, Hyungwon couldn't rule out the fact that it was still a possibility - one of the  _only_ possibilities, he discerned upon evaluating his other two assumptions. The likelihood of Hoseok playing hooky was virtually nonexistent. Hoseok wasn't the type of person to do something like that. Even Hyungwon knew that. However, there was one other potential solution, and this one, perhaps, made Hyungwon the most uneasy. 

Besides sickness, could something  _else_ have happened to Hoseok?

He considered the probability that he could very well have been jumping to conclusions. But he also took into consideration that yes, it was possible, because there were many a people who weren't that boy's biggest fans. Would they go as far as to hurt him? As in bring legitimate, physical harm to that poor who hadn't done anything wrong?? Hyungwon was spiteful and also keenly aware of the shameless, unjustifiable behavior of some people, so he thought to himself,  _yes, there is most certainly at least one person who would go that far._  

He dwelt on it that day. Whether he was blowing the issue out of proportion or not, he didn't know, he didn't care, because either way he wouldn't be able to rid it from his mind. So he succumbed to the distraction of worry and uncertainty. 

At lunch, he sat at his usual spot, where he had once sat alone, but now he saw no one sitting across from him.  _Don't think about it,_ he told himself.  _Don't think about it. Just eat your lunch, and stop thinking about him. He's not imp-..._

He stopped himself. Was he really just about to say Hoseok wasn't important? Even for Hyungwon, that would be pretty cold-hearted. And of course, he didn't mean it, and although he did have a tendency to deny things that were true, for some reason he couldn't bring himself to say it. Because apparently Hoseok was at least important enough to occupy his mind the entire day. 

The sight of a certain pink and blonde duo, however, drew Hyungwon from his thoughts, but only momentarily. He politely asked them to leave. It didn't work. Kihyun and Minhyuk sat down anyway and began to eat. Seconds passed and Hyungwon watched as a bottle of water and some kind of cake wrapped in clear plastic were slid over to him. He lifted his eyes slowly to the culprit. 

"What are these for?"

"You look miserable," Kihyun said, tilting his head as he peered at a certain part of Hyungwon's face. "And it's not just the dark circles."

Minhyuk made a noise of agreement. "Is something upsetting you again?" He asked. "Ah, is it your brother?"

"No, Minhyuk," the prince said before Hyungwon could even think of responding. "I think I know what it is. But I do want to hear him say it out loud."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your darling friend is missing today."

"So what?" He scoffed and poked at his food. "I'm not worried about him, if that's what you're implying."

"Mm." 

Kihyun clearly wasn't buying it - and neither was Minhyuk. The blond tapped his chopsticks against the table's surface, then reached over to tap them lightly against the wrapped cake in front of Hyungwon. "You should eat it," he said in a chipper tone. "Kihyun made it himself. Look, I have one, too."

"It's chocolate," Kihyun added. "You're not allergic to cocoa or gluten, are you?"

Hyungwon stared at the cake for a few seconds. "No. Far as I know, I don't have any allergies."

The prince smiled warmly at the boy's comment. "Well, that's fortunate. So why don't you give it a try, then?"

"I still don't understand why you're giving these to me."

"Just trying to be kind to someone in need, that's all."

"I'm not in need."

"In need of a good cheering up," said Minhyuk happily. He took the liberty of unwrapping the cake, breaking off a small piece, and presenting it to Hyungwon, who he hoped wouldn't reject it for merely having been on his hand. "C'mon, Kihyun-nie's made this plenty of times before. He's mastered it."

All Hyungwon did was stare at it. He stared at the cake, then at Kihyun and Minhyuk, and he wondered what possessed these two to voluntarily come over here to him in the first place. Was it really just because he looked miserable? 

"If you guys are only doing this to repay me for saving Minhyuk, you can stop, I already said y-"

"No, Hyungwon. Now shut up and eat the cake."

Kihyun's words were firm, resolute, and Hyungwon almost felt he had no choice but to obey them. He picked the broken piece off Minhyuk's palm, then placed it in his mouth. He hardly had to chew it - it was moist, but not too moist, just enough for it to slide easily down one's throat. 

"So how is it?"

 _It's actually really good. Holy crap._ "Not bad."

"Good. I'm glad. Now back to the subject at hand: you're upset because you're worried about Hoseok, correct?"

 _Oh. Oh, I see what you're doing._ Hyungwon was suddenly reminded of his mother. She had used an identical method on him when he was a child in order to get a confession out of him -  _simply_ _give the child some sort of treat, which will in turn guilt him or her into telling you what you want to know._ And oh, how well it worked. 

"...yes." Hyungwon took another bite of the cake.  _Okay, this isn't even fair._

"Mm. I knew it." Kihyun loosened his posture, smiling as he was pleased with himself. "If you're worried about him so much, then why don't you pay him a visit?"

"...I'm sorry?"

"Visit his house. Bring him a piece of cake, if you must."

"Yes, spread the love Kihyun-nie baked into this delicious, chocolatey treat," Minhyuk beamed. 

_"I will be spreading no such thing."_

Kihyun pouted, arching his eyebrows slightly in an expression of pity. "That's a shame," he said dolefully. "If Hoseok is actually sick, I'm sure he would really appreciate his dear friend Hyungwon stopping by, especially to bring him the gift of food. Who knows? Maybe he hasn't had much to eat all day. And I'm sure he's awfully lonely. Hoseok's an only child, is he not?"

Oh, now this was cruel. Kihyun was a cruel young man indeed, Hyungwon thought, urging the sympathy buried underneath his heartless front to come out into the open. Kihyun was incredible, alright. Not many people could get Hyungwon to do that. 

"I...n-no, I won't do it."

"Mhm. I'm sure." 

_He doesn't look convinced. In fact, he looks smug. That's really irritating._

"Do you know where Hoseok lives?"

"He texted me his address one time, but I haven't actually been there. And besides, I'm not-"

"Okay, great." Ignoring Hyungwon completely, Kihyun reached into the bag at his side and pulled out yet another piece of chocolate cake wrapped in plastic. He then promptly handed it over to Hyungwon. "Take this to him, alright?"

"What part about 'I won't do it' didn't you understand??"

"The part where you lied."

"What?"

"Never mind." He chuckled. "Hey, Minhyuk-ah, don't you think Hyungwon's cute when he's angry?"

"Adorable."

 

 

 

 

 

_What am I doing here?_

It appeared his persistence and stubbornness had failed him. For even with how strongly he insisted he would go straight home, and  _not_ to a certain blond puppy's home, where should he find himself after school hours ended but the residence of Shin Hoseok. A short cement pathway stretched between where he stood now and the front door. He took several steps down that path. Then he returned back to his initial spot. Then he took those steps again. Then retraced them. His pacing went on for several minutes - several excruciatingly  _long_ minutes, Hyungwon might add - before he finally mustered the confidence to march - well, if it could be considered a march, his movements were anything but confident - up to the door. And with great hesitance, he knocked upon it. 

There was no answer. He knocked a second time. Again, no answer. 

_Fine, then, if he won't answer the door, then I'm not waiting any longer. And I won't worry if he's sick or injured or depressed or-_

Oh, but he would worry. He knew that. That's what kept his feet grounded for just a few moments longer - but only a few. Luckily, however, a few moments was all it took. 

The door was opened. And there stood Hoseok in his loose-fitting, charcoal-gray t-shirt (that revealed a bit too much of his collarbone) and plaid pajama pants, pale yellow strands of his hair sticking out all over the place like hay from a haystack. How unkempt, he looked, and how very...

_...adorable._

"Hyungwon?"

On top of sounding groggy from sleep, Hoseok's voice was soft, and the way he uttered Hyungwon's name in such a relieved tone made the boy's heart flutter just a bit. He blushed under the blond's touched gaze. 

"Why'd you...come here?"

Hyungwon didn't reply. He was far too embarrassed. 

"Do you wanna come inside?"

"No, i most certainly do not want to go into your house."

Unfortunately, these words of Hyungwon's were spoken merely in his head, and he soon found himself taking small footsteps into Hoseok's quiet, quiet home - quiet, all except Hyungwon's rapidly beating heart, of course.  _Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up-_

"I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"Well, I wasn't expecting  _not_ to see you."

"Huh?"

_O o p s ._

"Kihyun asked me to bring you a piece of this cake he worked hard baking. That's why I'm here."

Internally praising himself for his spontaneous cover-up, Hyungwon opened his backpack and took out a container in which he had stored Kihyun's cake so that it wouldn't get mushed. It was Kihyun's container. He would have to return it at some point. But right now, he was more concerned about whether or not Hoseok would believe him, or if he'd have to confess to the fact that he was slightly paranoid of the blond having been hurt in some way. He held out the container and held his breath.  _C'mon, take it..._

"Oh." Hoseok sounded a touch disappointed as he accepted the cake, though he offered a soft 'thank you' to show his gratitude. "I see...um, thank you. Well, thank Kihyun, I guess, but thank you for taking it to me. You didn't...have to do that." He cleared his throat, popping open the container's green lid to examine the contents. "Do you want any of it?"

"No. He gave me a piece at school." Hyungwon lifted his gaze tentatively to meet Hoseok's. "It's good. You should try it. Unless you're nauseous from being sick or something, in which case that's probably not recommende-"

"Oh, I'm not sick."

Hyungwon froze with his mouth open in puzzlement. "...then why are you-?"

"It's my mom.  _She's_ the one who's sick. I stayed home to take care of her." At that moment Hoseok turned his head to glance at the staircase on the other end of the living room. It was dimly lit by sunlight pouring through the downstairs windows, yet still it seemed dead somehow. "She's sleeping," he soon said. "That's why I decided to take a nap a little bit ago, too. I figured I'd take whatever time I could get to rest. When Mom's sick, she really keeps me busy..."

 _So it wasn't Hoseok at all._ "Is she sick often?"

Hoseok smiled sadly, making his way slowly over to the light blue sofa in the center of the room. He sat down and placed the container of cake on the small table beside him. "Yeah." He tried to withhold a sigh, but it released itself against his will. And for some inexplicable reason that sigh gave Hyungwon the push he needed to claim a spot on the sofa next to Hoseok. 

"I'm sorry to hear that." He pursed his lips and folded his hands. "My parents have always been in especially good health...in fact they're almost never at home anymore. They both work, and when they're not working, they're usually out doing other things together. They've got a lot of youth in them for being in their forties..."

"Does it get lonely? With just you and your brother at home?"

"If you ask me, it'd be less lonely  _not_ having him there."

He was met with Hoseok's silence, a thoughtful silence that lingered until Hyungwon spoke again, mindlessly, not aware of just how closely his friend was listening to him. 

"Jonghee's an empty shell anymore. At least to me. You said he was handsome, Hoseok, but that's all he is. A handsome face."  ~~ _He called you a monster, and now I hate him_~~. 

"Do you mean that, Hyungwon?"

"I do." He clutched the hem of his shirt tightly and refused to let go until Jonghee's image left his head. "He's not a good person, Hoseok. Don't trust him."

The house became utterly quiet again. Hoseok couldn't look past the hurt in Hyungwon's voice as he had spoken this, and the abrupt eye contact that took him by surprise. Because that eye contact not only echoed the words _'don't trust him'_ , but it also seemed to whisper in addition,  _'trust **me.** '_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> spoiler alert: neither of them know it yet but kihyun is hyungwon's actual birth mother


	10. I Was Right about You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kihyun's unexpected encounter with Hyunwoo leads him to...
> 
> ...a daycare?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hardly edited this lmao so sorry in advance

Five o'clock on Saturday morning and Kihyun was wide awake, sipping coffee on his front porch, relishing the fresh spring air and the taste of caramel macchiato on his lips. He loved getting up early. Doing so granted him a larger window of time to get things done, or simply to enjoy himself in peace and solitude. And he could do that quite easily, and quite often; he was an only child, after all. That, of course, had its ups and downs, but Kihyun liked to make the best of it and focus on the positive aspects. 

Kihyun glanced at the clock on his phone - almost half-past five now. He told his grandmother he'd be at her house by eight. She didn't live  _too_ far away, but Kihyun was a punctual person, and he would hate to leave that sweet old woman waiting any longer than she had to. Getting there early wouldn't hurt. But at the same time he wouldn't want to be there too early. The second he should arrive, he knew his grandmother would wake up, and he wanted her to get enough sleep. She had told him in the past that there were many times she had difficulty sleeping at night. He knew she was lonely, living alone in her old age - healthy, though, and stubborn enough to refuse any offers to take her to a nursing home. Kihyun was glad for that. He would much rather visit her in the comforts of her home rather than some house filled with strangers - not that he had anything against nursing homes, but it was just how he felt. 

At six o'clock sharp Kihyun was at the bus stop. Within minutes the next bus arrived, and he boarded it promptly, claiming a seat towards the middle section where no one happened to be currently. Only two other people got on the bus at that stop. Both sat towards the back, and soon after, the bus began to move again. Kihyun then took this time to text his dear friend, however not knowing whether or not the boy would be awake at this hour. 

 

 

**Kiki:**

[image sent]

minhyuk-ahh

u awake im on the way to nanna's

wakey wakey eggs and bakey

**Minmin:**

omffff lookin good as always kihyun-nie <33

**Kiki:**

wow lmao i didn't actually expect

u to be up

did i wake u

**Minmin:**

nah i got up to use the bathroom liek

2 minutes ago loll

didnt fall back asleep yet

**Kiki:**

send me a selca

i miss u T~T

**Minmin:**

aWww kihyunn

ok hold on a sec

[image sent]

**Kiki:**

ah, my energy is replenished

ty minhyuk-ah

also nice mask lol

**Minmin:**

thanx :D

**Kiki:**

well its still early

so i suppose ill let u get

back to ur sleep

ttyl minhyuk-ah

**Minmin:**

:)) bye bye!! hav fun at ur nanna's

**Kiki:**

i will

bye~

 

Smiling to himself, Kihyun slid the device back into his pocket and turned his eyes to stare out the window. And he continued to stare out said window, peacefully observing the quiet morning life outside this glass pane, for quite a while. Several stops passed - the bus came to a halt, picked up several more passenger, then advanced, soon to do the same thing again, as buses do. Kihyun didn't typically pay much attention to the people who boarded the bus. At times he would give a meaningless glance if he happened to be looking in someone's direction, but that was it. And he didn't interact with anyone after that got on the bus, either. But then again not many people did. 

Kihyun had been mindlessly scanning the doors of various shops when the bus pulled up to yet another stop. The boy's gaze wandered and washed briefly over the small group waiting to board. No one Kihyun knew, which was to be expected. However, seconds before the doors closed and the vehicle resumed its course, a high school student dressed in tan, casual slacks and a navy-blue sweatshirt came racing down the sidewalk, scarcely coming to a stop before he would have run straight past the bus. He quickly stepped into the vehicle and politely thanked the driver for waiting a bit longer for him. And then he turned his head. By this point Kihyun was undeniably gaping at him, unable to believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. 

They made eye contact. For all of a split second, because Kihyun had so swiftly and frantically turned his head towards the window again, hoping and praying in desperation that Hyunwoo hadn't seen him staring, that Hyunwoo hadn't registered it was  _Kihyun_ on this bus, and not some other pink-haired stranger. 

_Oh, who am I kidding. I'm so screwed._

"Kihyun, what a coincidence."

In the blink of an eye, the boy had reached Kihyun's row, which happened to be a conveniently  _half-empty_ row of two. 

"Is it alright if I sit here?"

_Play it cool, Kihyun. Pretend you didn't notice him there._  

Shifting his position slightly, Kihyun moved his head just enough so that he could see Hyunwoo out of his peripheral vision, and from there he craned his neck the rest of the way to look at the boy directly. And he put on his best look of surprise - well, he attempted to, anyway. How unfortunate that Kihyun still couldn't help but blush in Hyunwoo's presence. He felt an immediate pounding in his chest, a tenseness in his hands that caused them to grip the hems of his sleeves. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to go. No one to reduce the spotlight that was Hyunwoo's attention. No one to relieve him of the bizarre nervousness that struck him solely around this boy. But he couldn't turn him away. No, that would  ~~ruin his chances of getting Hyunwoo to like him~~ be nothing short of rude.

"Uh, go ahead. I don't mind."

"Thank you."

With this approval, Hyunwoo carefully lowered himself to the seat beside Kihyun, oblivious to the fact that boy's cheeks were now a shade away from matching his hair. Both sat facing straight forward, Kihyun quite stiffly, whereas Hyunwoo's posture was relaxed and he slouched a little. More so after a few minutes had passed with the two boys in complete silence. Kihyun didn't realize when Hyunwoo started to lean forward, subtly trying to sneak a look at the boy's expression and figure out why Kihyun was as unmoving and unblinking as a wooden doll. 

"Mind if I ask where you're headed?"

"Huh?"

His head turned sharply. Having been lost in his thoughts, Kihyun became startled to find Hyunwoo now peering at him with curiosity, and even more startled he heard the faintest laugh leave Hyunwoo's mouth. 

"I said, do you mind if I ask where you're headed?" 

"O-oh, right." Kihyun rubbed the back of his neck. "My na-...grandmother's. I'm visiting my grandmother. She lives a couple bus rides away." He turned his head briefly towards the window. "That reminds me, I'll have to switch buses in a few stops."

"Same here."

Kihyun faced Hyunwoo suddenly again. "Really?"

"Yeah." He nodded  ~~cutely.~~ "At the stop that's right next to that one office complex...I can't remember what it's called. But anyway, I'm supposed to be at the daycare by seven, so I hope there's not much traffic today..."

"...daycare?"

He thought he had heard wrong - but no, Hyunwoo looked him directly in the eye and nodded again in confirmation. "Yeah," he said. "I don't go frequently, only sometimes on weekends, namely when Hoseok can't make it because of reasons, but I don't mind, and I know that they could use the help with how many kids they get over there. Changkyun comes sometimes, too. But neither of us are quite as gifted with the kids as Hoseok is. That guy really is something else..."

He couldn't explain it. Why the idea of Hyunwoo surrounded by adorable kids made his heart do a backflip. He wanted to see it. He wasn't even going to deny it. Kihyun wanted to be present when Hyunwoo greeted the little children, helping them with their jackets and playing with them and reading stories to them in that sweet, soothing voice of his and-

"You should stop by, Kihyun."

"Oh, I would love that."

"You would?"

His mouth moved faster than his brain, tragically. And he spoke a little too eagerly. Hyunwoo gazed at him with up-thrown brows, nodding for the third time that bus ride, this time with seemingly no reason - it was a habit, Kihyun assumed. A cute one. Kihyun swallowed a lump in his throat and smiled nervously.  _I already said it. I can't just tell him 'I was only kidding'. I would sound stupid._

"Y-yeah," he choked. "Absolutely. I, uh, I love kids."

"Mm." Another nod. "You kinda do give me that sort of vibe."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Like the real caring and gentle type. I bet the kids would love you."

Kihyun blushed.  _He hardly even knows me, and yet he's saying something sweet like that?? Is he **trying** to make me fall for him?? _ _Ugh, I'm so angry._ "W-well, that's really flattering," he stuttered, "but I'm not so sure. I mean, I don't have any siblings, and I've never babysat before, so I don't have experience-"

"You don't necessarily need to have experience," Hyunwoo interrupted, catching Kihyun off guard. "Hoseok doesn't have siblings. And as far as I know, he's never babysat anyone's kids, either. But like I told you, he just has a gift. You might, too."

He was speechless. Was Hyunwoo this much of a sweet-talker with everyone he met? - Kihyun wondered. He decided not to say anything; however some might say the color of his cheeks spoke volumes. 

A few minutes later and Kihyun spotted Hyunwoo standing up out of the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he turned to him, and when he did, Hyunwoo asked softly, "So are you tagging along? Or will I make you late for something?"

He definitely wouldn't be late. Kihyun always left the house earlier than he needed to, and depending on how early he arrived at his destination, he would simply take a stroll around the neighborhood until the time came when he scheduled to be at his grandmother's. He would have time. Moreover, his heart beat loudly against his chest and he knew it would continue to do so if he didn't accept Hyunwoo's offer now. 

"I won't be late." He stood up. "I'll go - ah, wait, are you sure it'll be okay? You know, me dropping by all of a sudden? The people working at the daycare-"

"They won't mind," Hyunwoo assured him. "Don't worry 'bout it. Now let's go. We're at the stop."

And so Kihyun soon found himself following ~~~~ ~~~~~~the man of his dreams~~ Hyunwoo out of the bus, only to walk a short distance to a new stop, and board a bus again. This one took them five or so additional blocks before Hyunwoo said calmly, "Here." And they got off. 

The daycare wasn't too far from here, apparently. A short walk later and they arrived at The Children's Cloud, as Kihyun discovered its name was. Cute. The exterior of the building was a light, sky blue and decorated with puffy white clouds, and little airplanes around the borders. On the door hung a sign with the daycare's name and a happy, smiling face underneath a speech bubble -  _"All Kids Welcome! Come To Learn And Play."_

Hyunwoo stepped forward and gave the door a knock. Moments later, it was opened to them, and a short, middle-aged woman with shoulder-length black hair and round glasses greeted them with a sweet smile, happily recognizing Hyunwoo, and pleasantly surprised by Kihyun's unexpected appearance. 

"And who might this handsome young man be?" She asked, lowering her glasses on her nose. 

Kihyun bowed suddenly, preparing to introduce himself, but Hyunwoo beat him to the chase. 

"Auntie, this is Kihyun, a friend from school," he said. "He'd like to help out, if that's alright."

"More than alright," the woman said happily. She smiled at Kihyun. "You're a friend, is that it? I was unaware Hyunwoo had friends other than Changkyun and Hoseok, so I wondered for a moment if you were his boyfriend or something. But I realize my mistake now." Chuckling quietly to herself, she took a step backwards and gestured for the boys to come inside. They did, and soon after Kihyun was greeted by two other ladies younger than the first. When they saw him, they turned to each and whispered something, then smiled and approached Kihyun. 

"I-I'm Kihyun." He bowed to them. "It's nice to meet you."

The two didn't say much. But they were clearly _thinking_ much. Their eyes darted from each other to Kihyun, then to Hyunwoo, then to Kihyun again. And the pink-haired boy couldn't deny that he felt embarrassed, partially due to the fact they might also be assuming he and Hyunwoo were an item. Hyunwoo was standing awfully close to him now. Kihyun told himself it was another habit. Just a habit.

"Don't be bothered by them. They may seem like they're gossiping, but they're good people."

It was a quiet whisper. Spoken so close to Kihyun's ear, and so gently that it made his hair stand on end. He tried to shake the feeling. He urged himself not to dwell on how smooth and velvety that voice sounded, and the thought of it being perfect for singing, and-

_Oh my gosh, I'm doing it again._ _Kihyun, control yourself._  

He watched as Hyunwoo made his way over to a cork board that hung over a white cubby shelf filled with books and a variety of children's toys. The taller boy then motioned for Kihyun to come over, too. So he did. He discovered that pinned on the cork board was a schedule, each item listed being a specific activity that the kids would be doing that day. According to the chart, they would be arriving shortly.

Kihyun had time. He could stay for a little while. 

 

 

 

 

"Hello, Kyunmin. Hello, Hyungsoo. Good morning."

"Teacher Hyunwoo!"

The first two kids to be dropped off by their mothers made no hesitation to greet Hyunwoo happily, and one of them even ran up to him to hug him. Kihyun watched in silence. The scene was too cute. He didn't want to interrupt in any way, but the child who had just hugged Hyunwoo - Hyungsoo - noticed Kihyun and his unfamiliar face and gazed curiously at him. 

"Teacher Hyunwoo, who's that?"

"You can call him Teacher Kiki."

Kihyun glanced at Hyunwoo, an amused smirk tugging at his mouth without his knowing. "I'm sorry? Teacher what?"

"Teacher Kiki," Kyunmin said with his hand raised, "are you also a friend of Teacher Hoseok?"

"Ah, well, y-"

"We love Teacher Hoseok!" cried Hyungsoo. "He's so nice and he plays with us and he's a good reader and last time he was here he showed us how to make sandwiches and-"

"Alright, that's enough, Hyungsoo." One of the daycare ladies came up and took the little boy gently by the hand, smiling at Kihyun almost apologetically before leading the child to an adjacent room. As he was being led away, Hyungsoo swiveled his head around to look back at Kihyun. He waved. Kihyun waved back. 

"Ah, he's quite cute," he said quietly. "And friendly."

Upon turning around, Kihyun found that the other little boy, Kyunmin, was now standing directly in front of him, head tilted far back to accommodate the large height difference, staring up at him with wide, round eyes. The child blinked slowly several times before speaking.

"Teacher Kiki?"

Kihyun felt a twinge in his chest.  _Oh, have mercy. He's too cute._ Carefully he lowered himself to his knees so that they were eye to eye. For some reason, he felt nervous. So very, very nervous. He hadn't expected any of the children to talk to him so willingly, and yet the first two to show up seemed to have no issues with it. Of course, he could detect a little shyness in this one, but the fact that the little boy was making an effort to speak to Kihyun, a stranger, was in some sense admirable. And downright adorable. 

"Why's your hair pink?"

He had to admit it - he shouldn't have been surprised at the question, seeing as it probably would seem a bit odd to a child to see someone with such an abnormal hair color, but Kihyun found himself placed in a peculiar spotlight upon hearing these words fall out of Kyunmin's mouth. The genuine curiosity expressed in a soft, sweet tone made his heart weak. 

"Um..." He laughed nervously. "I guess I just liked the color pink, is all."

"My mommy said people change their hair color 'cuz they aren't happy with the way they are."

It shocked him. And Hyunwoo, too, apparently, because he almost looked ready to sweep an arm around Kyunmin and guide the boy out of the room as that daycare lady had done with Hyungsoo. But he stopped himself upon observing the change in Kihyun's expression. Several changes, to be exact. First a sense of sadness, perhaps even realization, dawned on his countenance, soon to be taken over by a smile that seemed to cleave to some other emotion, one that Hyunwoo couldn't figure out. 

"I guess so," he said uncertainly. His eyes became fixed on Kyunmin's face. "Some people are like that...and I guess I was, too. Do you like it?"

"I like your eyes."

"My-" Kihyun froze. "My eyes?"

The child nodded his head. "Like Teacher Hoseok's."

With that, Kyunmin abruptly decided it was time to go, and so he departed from Kihyun and Hyunwoo and made his way to the small table in the next room, where he sat down beside the bubbly Hyungsoo. It took a minute of silent contemplation before Kihyun could bring himself to stand up again. Once he did, he looked at Hyunwoo.

"He means they look kind." 

An answer to his unspoken question. Even with the answer, however, Kihyun still had a bit of difficulty processing the heartwarming meaning behind it. Hyunwoo could see this, and it made him smile ever so softly. 

"I was right about you."

He didn't elaborate. And Kihyun didn't ask him to. Naturally, though, Kihyun couldn't help but wonder what exactly Hyunwoo meant by what he had said, ambiguous as that statement had been. It was something sweet. He knew that much. From the tone of Hyunwoo's voice along with the tenderness of those beautiful eyes... 

He could get lost in them. And he feared that if he looked any longer, he would. 

"I should get going."

"So soon?"

Another twinge in his chest. Kihyun fought back the urge to place his hand over his heart. "Yeah," he said, somewhat regretfully. "I don't wanna keep my grandmother waiting. Says she misses me all the time, ya know?"

Hyunwoo nodded his head in understanding. "I get why she would," he said.

Kihyun's eyes widened.

"Ah, pretty."

"W-..." The pink-haired boy's cheeks grew warm, words getting caught in his throat and causing him to sputter like a malfunctioning machine. "W-what are you saying all of a sudden??"

"I'm saying you're pretty." A nearly inaudible laugh escaped Hyunwoo's lips. He tilted his head, smile widening. "I figured you hear that all the time. Didn't think you'd be so alarmed."

_"Teacher Hyunwoooo!!!"_

The one whose name was so loudly called craned his neck and called back in a much quieter voice, "Just a second, Hyungsoo." He faced Kihyun again. "So you  _are_ leaving?"

"...y-yeah. I am."

"Well, I'll see you later, then. You should come by here again some time."

"Right. O-of course."

"Bye."

"...bye."

With sloth-like movements Kihyun reached for the handle to the front door, turned it, pushed the door open, stepped outside, then closed it behind him. And he stood there, leaning against that door as he drew a sharp intake of breath. 

_"Something really is wrong with me..."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is it obvious i got inspired by that one episode of monsta x-ray


	11. The Heart Doesn't Choose Who It Beats For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While on a casual walk through a park, Hoseok and Hyungwon run into someone they wish they didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmmm hey im not dead  
> sorry for taking forever to update??  
> thank u to the ppl who waited patiently??  
> if there were any??? lmao

Early morning on a Saturday, Hyungwon planned to sleep in as usual, because he had no reasons to rise before ten, so why would he? His neighborhood was typically pleasantly quiet and peaceful in the morning, which made sleeping in easy for him. What didn't make it easy this particular morning was the unexpected phone call he received out of the blue. It tore him from a deep sleep with its loud, repetitive ringing and the vibration of it against the surface of Hyungwon's bedside table. It took a minute to register what he was hearing. No one ever called him, and with his drowsy state, it was only to be expected. But once the realization did strike him he hurriedly picked up his phone and answered the call without at first checking the caller ID.

"What??"

_"Hey, Hyungwon."_

Hoseok's voice. 

"For what reason are you calling at this ungodly hour??" Hyungwon spat, not caring to camouflage the sheer irritation in his words. 

 _"I'm...really sorry,"_ was Hoseok's reply. And it shocked Hyungwon how low the boy's voice was, and how oddly solemn.  _"I shouldn't have called so early. I...didn't actually realize it was this early. I'm sorry, Hyungwon. Maybe I should call back later...-"_

"No, we're already here, so spit out what you were going to say."

For about ten seconds Hyungwon listened to Hoseok's silence. Then he heard his friend quietly clear his throat. 

_"I...wanted to ask you'd go on a walk with me."_

Hyungwon paused before speaking. "...a walk?"

 _"Yeah,"_ Hoseok confirmed. Again, his voice was low. Concernedly so. That might have been the only reason Hyungwon didn't just hang up the phone and go back to sleep.  _"I know it's really early, but...if you ask me that's the best time to walk. Please, Hyungwon."_

There was clearly a motive. Hoseok had a specific intention for springing this question on him. Hyungwon knew at least that much, but what that intention could be, he had absolutely no clue. He clutched the device in his hands before replying softly, "Fine."

There was a sigh of relief on the other end of the receiver.  _"Thank you,"_ Hoseok breathed.  _"I'll walk down to your house, if that's okay. You can just wait for me outside."_

"...okay."

_"See you then."_

He hung up. But Hyungwon didn't pull the phone away from his ear for a few seconds, a part of him wondering if he'd still hear Hoseok's voice somehow bleeding through. It really did concern him. Hoseok was a morning person - Hyungwon had confirmed that a while ago - so he shouldn't be sounding so dead, regardless of the hour of day. Unless, of course, the boy had received little to no sleep the previous night. Yes, perhaps that was the case. However, it still wouldn't explain the subtle waver Hyungwon detected in Hoseok's speech. There was something wrong. There had to be. 

Hyungwon dragged himself out of bed and threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Then, without bothering to grab anything to eat, he went outside and waited on his front porch for the blonde puppy to arrive. 

It took a little over fifteen minutes. Hyungwon had been staring at his feet and contemplating when he spotted someone approaching out of the corner of his eye, and he lifted his head to find Hoseok dragging his feet along like the concrete sidewalk was actually made of thick, heavy mud, a quagmire. Hyungwon slowly made his way over to him. They made eye contact. 

"Morning, Hyungwon."

The smile didn't look forced, surprisingly. But his eyes still looked sad. 

"Shall we go?"

Hyungwon couldn't bring himself to ask about it. He wanted to, but he didn't know what to say or how to say it. So he just followed as Hoseok started to walk, and he walked by his side down the quiet street, not saying anything, gaze fixed on the ground but every so often lifting itself to look upon Hoseok's expression. Hoseok kept facing forward. Silent. Even his breathing. Hyungwon couldn't hear it at all except when Hoseok would occasionally inhale deeply to replenish his oxygen supply. It was agonizing. Hyungwon could feel his heart beating loudly, sweat threatening to roll down his face. 

"I'm sorry."

Hyungwon raised his head abruptly. "What?"

Hoseok cracked a smile. "About making you walk with me. It's not even seven o'clock, probably. You hate me for it, don't you?"

"Maybe just a little," Hyungwon said, but he did so jokingly. He didn't hate Hoseok at all. "It's fine, though. I'm just a little curious why you asked all of a sudden. Did you...have a specific reason?"

"Yeah," Hoseok admitted without hesitation. "I do."

"...did you want to talk about it?"

For some reason, Hoseok appeared somewhat happy that Hyungwon asked him this, and he answered in a soft voice, "If you'll listen."

Hyungwon remained silent as a way of showing his ears were open. And he listened. 

"I visited my dad in prison the other day."

There was a pang in Hyungwon's chest.  _Oh._

"It was the first time, actually, and I didn't really know what to expect," Hoseok continued, "but I..." He stopped himself. And Hyungwon took this moment to examine the blond's face, taking in the emotions held within, the furrow of the boy's brow, the slight quiver of his lips, which he pursed as though to hide that quivering. "I don't know, I guess I just expected him to be happy to see me? At least a little. But he hardly even reacted, Hyungwon, he just looked at me with these cold, lifeless eyes like I was nothing more than a stranger."

His words were brittle, eyes shaking and holding the promise of tears. Hyungwon opened his mouth to speak but failed to make but a noise. 

"It hurts." Hoseok clutched the fabric covering his heart. "It really hurts, Hyungwon...I-I didn't do anything to make him hate me, not that I know of, anyway, and I don't understand. I wasn't able to sleep last night, and hardly the night before, and I..." 

A tear rolled down his cheek - only a single tear, but one was all it took to rattle Hyungwon's heart and drive him to reflexively reach out and wipe that tear with his thumb. He hadn't meant it to, but his hand lingered on Hoseok's cheek and the soft skin thereon. Both boys stopped walking at the same time. Hoseok's eyes were wide as he stared at Hyungwon, who tore his hand away once he felt himself begin to blush under Hoseok's stunned gaze.

"Um, w-why didn't you tell Hyunwoo or Changkyun?" He asked, hoping to divert the attention away from his previous action. "Don't you usually talk to them about things like this? I-I mean, I wouldn't know, obviously, but I figured since you seem closer with them that you'd talk to them."

"I usually do," Hoseok admitted. He touched the cheek were Hyungwon's hand had just been. "But for some reason I really wanted to talk to you. I don't even know why...I just did."

Vague yet touching. Hyungwon sighed, not knowing what else to do when his chest was in pain but felt warm at the same time. Undeniably, he was happy that Hoseok had chosen to come to him, but as usual, he didn't understand this boy. Although, he considered, perhaps that was okay for now. 

The two of them continued on their walk in silence, but this time the silence wasn't awkward or excruciating or anything unpleasant. In fact, Hyungwon quite enjoyed it. The atmosphere was tranquil, wind at rest, and he didn't mind this air that had settled between him and Hoseok. He couldn't explain it. And he didn't exactly register when it happened. But it was nice. That was the only word he could think of to describe it. Having a friend - a friend like Hoseok - was...nice. And he was grateful for him. 

They eventually arrived at a park that Hoseok suggested they pass through, seeing as it was such a beautiful day and to walk by a park would be a wasted opportunity. Having no objections, Hyungwon agreed. So the two boys entered through the park's open gate and began to walk across the short, emerald-green grass and the occasional cluster of wildflowers or weeds or small stones. There didn't appear to be anyone here. Hyungwon felt pleased at this fact. He didn't want anyone or anything to disturb his peaceful walk with Hoseok. Not a sudden breath of wind, not a drop of rain, not the appearance of an unexpected or unwelcome party...

_"It's **you.** "_

The voice came from behind. Startled, Hyungwon and Hoseok both spun around simultaneously, not anticipating the man who had spoken to be so close. No more than ten feet away he stood, a complete stranger to Hyungwon, tall and built, short black hair cut even shorter around the sides, deep-set eyes that were just  _flooded_ with clear-cut rage. Despite how utterly intimidating he appeared, the man didn't look to be any older than early to mid-twenties. Something was off about him. Hyungwon could tell that from the start, the fury burning in him, the way his gaze was solely trained on Hoseok and ignoring Hyungwon entirely...

Hyungwon glanced at his friend. He didn't expect to find Hoseok's face so stricken with alarm, sweat drops beginning to form. The blond placed a hand on Hyungwon's shoulder but didn't look away from the man before them.

"Hyungwon." He spoke in a soft yet fearful whisper. "Hyungwon, you can head back now. I'm...gonna stay here for a bit."

 _Is he serious right now??_ "As if," he spat. "I'm not going back without y-"

"Hyungwon, just go!!"

He shoved Hyungwon away just as the stranger hurled a fist at Hoseok's face. He knocked him square in the jaw, sending the blond stumbling back a few steps and scarcely managing to catch himself before he would have fallen. It shook Hyungwon. His hands quivered, eyes trembling in disbelief as he watched the man throw another fist at Hoseok, who attempted to stop it, but failed and was struck again. Hyungwon saw the blood in Hoseok's mouth. The sight of that blood drove him to step into the fight. Boldly, yet maybe stupidly, he seized the stranger's clenched hand mid-punch. Because of his interference, the man's anger was fueled, and in his fit of rage he redirected that punch of his to claim Hyungwon's head - however somehow it had gained both speed and force, and it struck the boy so hard that he fell to the ground and hit his head against the pavement. Yes, pavement, because conveniently, the portion of the park they were in now happened to be the playground, where there was no grass to cushion such a terrible fall. Hyungwon didn't get up right away. He couldn't. His head throbbed like crazy, pain like he had never felt before shooting through him and making him dizzy. He could still see Hoseok and the violent stranger, though, even from his feeble position. They were still engaged in a fight. Hoseok wasn't swinging any punches or anything, however. He merely did his best to avoid the attacks thrown at him, sadly succeeding fewer times than he failed. The blond staggered. He was clearly growing weaker by the second, and Hyungwon predicted his friend would soon be unable to raise his arms to even  _try_ to block a punch. 

Hyungwon struggled to prop himself up. He blinked and tried to rub his eyes. As he did, another spasm of pain shot through him. He winced, squeezing his eyelids together. By the time he opened them fully again, Hoseok had joined him on the ground. Blood trickling from his open mouth, eyes shut, body completely immobile. It was such a horrific sight. Hoseok didn't do so much as twitch or flinch. He wasn't conscious.  _He wasn't conscious._

"H-Hoseok??"

No answer. Of course there wouldn't be an answer. Hyungwon craned his neck to look up at the attacker, but he was gone. 

It was enough to make him cry. And he almost did, but upon reminding himself that right now, Hoseok's life could very well be in his hands, he hastily searched the boy's pockets for a phone - he had left his own at his house - and dialed 911. 

_Shin Hoseok, don't you dare do this to me...you have to be okay...you **have** to be._

 

 

 

 

They were both taken to the nearest hospital. Hyungwon's treatment went by quickly and smoothly, and there was no need for him to be kept in a bed lest he should desire to. And he didn't. Sure, he had a splitting headache, but he didn't care, he believed it would go away within the next day or so anyway. And lying in a bed wouldn't do him much good. He wouldn't be able to rest at all until he heard from Hoseok. Until he saw Hoseok. Until he could be assured that boy was okay. 

He ended up sitting outside Hoseok's hospital for quite a while. Anxiety spread throughout his veins till every limb moved restlessly. He didn't want to wait any longer. With every moment that slipped by, Hyungwon only grew more and more nervous. He feared the worst. And he hated that. He wished he could have been more hopeful, optimistic.

"Mister Chae Hyungwon?"

He didn't even hesitate to stand up at the sound of his name. His aching head despised him for that. Regardless, he ignored the pain and acknowledged the nurse who was standing next to an open door, asking if he would like to go inside. Hyungwon did. He entered the room and took several steps over to a nearby chair, soon to pull it out so that he could sit directly in front of the hospital bed. Hoseok's hospital bed. 

The boy's head rested on several white pillows, still, but Hyungwon could at least see the subtle rise and fall of Hoseok's chest. He was alive. He was breathing. That was enough to settle Hyungwon's nerves at least a little. What he couldn't settle, unfortunately, was his heart. And it had nothing to do with the speed at which it was beating - in fact, at the moment, it was fairly normal. There was simply an ache present there. An ache that made him forget his head was also in pain. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Hoseok's peaceful face. He refused to - that is, until he heard a knock from behind him. 

A boy his age stood at the doorway, somber expression plastered on his handsome face. He looked at the floor, shuffled his feet, then mustered up the courage to look at Hyungwon. 

"My name is Jooheon. The man who attacked Hoseok was my brother."

He inhaled deeply and bowed to Hyungwon.

"I...sincerely apologize for my brother's actions," Jooheon said, voice soft, but audible, and genuine. After a few seconds he straightened his posture and once again made eye contact with Hyungwon. Then, he reached into the pocket of his white, button-down shirt and pulled out a slip of paper, which he then handed to the puzzled boy. "It's my phone number," he explained. "I want to take full responsibility for what happened. So here. If you need anything, you can give me a call. Oh, and don't worry about the hospital bill...I'll take care of that, too." He bowed again. "If you'll excuse me."

Just like that, he was gone. Hyungwon blinked and looked down at the paper in his hand before shoving it into the back pocket of his jeans. "Jooheon," he whispered under his breath. With how polite and respectful that boy acted, Hyungwon had difficulty believing his relation to Hoseok's attacker. He also didn't fully comprehend what had happened, either. Why Hoseok had been attacked in the first place. 

Hyungwon soon remembered, however, a certain, significant detail Hoseok had mentioned. The man his father had killed had a son - two, apparently. And suddenly he understood. 

At that moment, as Hyungwon started to slip into yet another state of contemplation, a quiet moan of pain forcefully urged him to turn towards Hoseok, just in time to watch as the blond's eyes fluttered open. The boy seated beside him sprung to attention. 

"Hoseok? Hoseok??"

Simultaneous relief and worry bled into that name he called repeatedly, though soon did he stop upon considering loud noises might bother the patient. So he restrained himself and waited anxiously as Hoseok's tired eyes scanned the room and eventually found Hyungwon. He couldn't help himself at that point.

"Hoseok. Hoseok, thank God you're alright." Hyungwon let out a deep breath he hadn't known he was holding. Briefly he dropped his head, and when he lifted it again, he found Hoseok to be staring at him rather strangely. "W-what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry-"

"No, don't apologize, it wasn't y-"

"Do I know you?"

Everything stopped for a moment. The sounds outside this hospital room, the thoughts in Hyungwon's head, the beating of his restless heart. It all stopped. Frozen until tears began to fill the boy's eyes. He snapped. The tears overflowed and streamed down his face, staining his cheeks and meeting at the tip of his chin, muffled sobs escaping his mouth as he shielded his face with his hands. He could feel his heart beat again, but now, every time it struck his chest, a little bit of his energy was drained. Memory loss. He had never even taken it into consideration, but with how badly Hoseok's head had been beaten and knocked up, it didn't seem unlikely. But Hyungwon didn't want to believe it. His only friend, stolen from him. The thought tore at a part of him he never wanted to be touched. 

"H-Hyungwon, I was only kidding."

He pulled his hands away from his face and the tears gradually ceased to fall. They left behind traces of mixed emotions, all of which swirled together and nearly drove Hyungwon to slap Hoseok across the face. "Y-...you  _bastard..._ " He sniffled, arching his brow. "What is wrong with you?? That wasn't funny, I actually thought you-..." 

The tears came back. Hoseok seized Hyungwon's hand before he could use it to cover his face again. 

"I'm sorry." He could only hold the hand delicately, but it was enough to get the boy's attention. "Hyungwon, I'm sorry. I...only wanted to see your reaction." His eyes quivered apologetically. "I didn't want to make you cry. I'm...that was cruel of me, I'm so sorry."

Hyungwon could tell he meant it. And he was just so overcome with emotion that he intertwined his fingers with Hoseok's, then gripped the boy's hand tightly, pulling it towards himself till he could rest his head against both of their hands. 

"You're the worst, Hoseok."

"I know...I'm sorry..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so emo


	12. One Kind Soul Can Outshine a Thousand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk receives an unexpected phone call from Jooheon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> editing who? i dont know her

Lee Minhyuk was very much a night owl. Even with how much energy he expelled during the day, somehow by the end of it he still had more he needed to release before he was satisfied with going to sleep. So he often waited until eleven p.m. to even  _begin_ his nightly routine. Kihyun would occasionally scold him for doing so, but seeing as this was a weekend, he was more okay with it. And besides, he knew that Minhyuk enjoyed being up late, and he wasn't one to rain on his best friend's parade.

Minhyuk had just finished taking a shower. He waltzed out of the bathroom, vigorously rubbing his blonde hair with his soft maroon towel, then skipped all the way down the quiet hallway of his house till he reached his bedroom. There, he launched himself onto his bed and stretched like a kitten who just woke up from a long nap. Overhead his ceiling fan spun slowly. He propped himself up, scooted over to his stack of pillows, and picked up his phone which lay on the surface of his nightstand. 

 

**Minmin:**

kihyunieeeee (* ^ ω ^)

u still awake??

**Kiki:**

yes, but i am getting a lil sleepy

studying rn, prolly gonna

close the books soon tho

**Minmin:**

u nerd >.<

i just took a showr

kinda hungry (^◕ᴥ◕^)

**Kiki:**

go get sum food then minhyuk-ah

just try not 2 wake ur parents

**Minmin:**

hehe i know ^^

so u gon sleep now??

**Kiki:**

yeh

**Minmin:**

night night kiki 

(－ω－) zzZ

**Kiki:**

<3 night night minmin

 

Smiling widely, Minhyuk turned off his phone and set it beside him, then stretched once more as he pondered what he would do next. Get a late night snack? Probably, since he certainly was getting hungry. Overwatch? That would most likely come next, since there were few days that went by when Minhyuk didn't turn on his PC at least once to play that game. But before that, food. Minhyuk patted his stomach and sat upright, preparing to throw himself out of bed so that he could make his way to the kitchen, but he was stopped by the sound of his ringtone. Puzzled, he stared at the now ringing, vibrating device with a furrowed brow and curiously pursed lips. He checked the caller ID: unknown number. 

He was hesitant but soon pressed the 'answer call' button. 

"Hello? Lee Minhyuk speaking."

_"Minhyuk, hello. It's-...it's Jooheon."_

"Jooheon??" Unable to fake his surprise, Minhyuk blurted out the name, for some reason feeling the stare into the phone for a few seconds before holding it back up to his ear. "Lee Jooheon??"

There was the faintest laugh on Jooheon's end of the receiver.  _"You make it sound as if I'm some sort of celebrity."_

"No, I just wasn't expecting you, that's all." Minhyuk beamed. "So what's up? How'd you get my number? Was there a reason you called? Oh! By the way, how are your injuries? I know it's been a couple weeks, but still, are they fully healed? I hope so."

Silence. It seemed Jooheon needed a bit of time to not only process all of Mihyuk's rapid-fire questions, but additionally to gather up his confidence to reply to them.  _"Um...they're healed,"_ he said tentatively.  _"I've been able to walk on my ankle without a problem. And...I, uh, got your number from Kihyun-ssi. He gave it to me, actually, I didn't even ask for it, but..."_ He cleared his throat.  _"Um, anyway, I know it's late, so I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything but I...well, there are some things that have been going on lately...issues, to put it lightly, and I really don't wanna go home right now, so-..."_

In the stretch of time before he spoke again Minhyuk could hear what sounded like cars passing by in the near distance. A lot of cars.

 _"...I know we don't...really know each other well, and this is probably really odd of me to ask you out of the blue, but I_ _...wanted to ask if I could spend the night at your place."_

Minhyuk could detect something terribly sad in Jooheon's voice, but it was buried under a tone that made it seem like the "issues" he spoke of were something to sneeze at. But Minhyuk knew they weren't. He didn't have to ask to confirm that.

_"If I'm intruding, or you don't feel comfortable with it, then I completely understand, I-"_

"Jooheon, where are you right now?"

The boy paused at the question, then quietly answered,  _"The boulevard."_

"Why are you at the boulevard, Jooheon?"

_"I wanted to get away from my brother."_

He didn't understand why Jooheon's soft-spoken, honest reply made his heart hurt. But it did, and without even knowing the context behind the situation, Minhyuk suddenly felt extremely sympathetic for this boy. He inhaled slowly, deeply, and glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand: ten minutes till midnight. It really was late. And it made him wonder just how long Jooheon had been wandering around the city, how far away this boulevard was from his house, how long Jooheon had pondered before deciding it was okay to call Minhyuk's number and ask a favor from him when they had hardly spoken in the past. Minhyuk swallowed his breath. 

"I'll text you my address."

 _"Really?"_  

"Do you think you'd be able to get here from where you are?"

 _"I did bring bus fare,"_ Jooheon explained,  _"or I could grab a taxi. I've seen a couple pass by here."_

"If I could drive I would go pick you up," Minhyuk said, almost regretfully. Jooheon immediately countered the boy's response.

 _"No, no, I wouldn't ask you to do that."_ He could practically hear Jooheon shaking his head.  _"If you're letting me do this, then that's more than enough. Really, I couldn't ask for anything else. Thank you for this, Minhyuk, you're an angel."_

Judging by the stuttering that followed this sweet remark, Minhyuk assumed it had slipped out of Jooheon's mouth by mistake, but nonetheless it pleased him to hear, and he said sweetly in response, "I'll see you soon, Jooheon-nie."

_"R-right. Bye."_

They both hung up. Promptly afterwards, Minhyuk kept his word and sent Jooheon a message which included his exact street address, along with several stores and distinguishing sights that would let him know he's going in the right direction. Then he waited. He waited, staring at his folded hands contemplatively for a solid minute before getting out of bed to go to the kitchen. He thought about making himself a snack, but then he wondered if he should wait until Jooheon arrived, because maybe he hadn't eaten in a while and was also hungry. He eventually decided on the latter. So, to pass the time before Jooheon's arrival, Minhyuk plopped himself down on the living room couch in front of the TV and turned on the food network. 

Twenty minutes went by. Thirty. Thirty three.

There was a quiet knock at the front door. Minhyuk shot up from his reclining position on the couch and hurried over to the door while at the same time trying to be as quiet as possible - he didn't want to wake his parents. Smile on his face, he turned and pulled the silver handle, preparing to happily greet and welcome the boy on the other side. But his smile faded in the blink of an eye. 

Jooheon was there, alright. Tense hands buried in the pockets of his jeans, guilty expression on his face - his beaten, bruised face. 

_"I wanted to get away from my brother."_

Minhyuk made no hesitation to seize Jooheon by the wrist and drag him into the house. Once the door had been closed and locked, he proceeded to guide Jooheon quickly down the hall and straight into his room. And he was forceful enough that Jooheon couldn't resist, but kind enough that he wouldn't want to, anyway. In a matter of seconds the boy found himself seated on Minhyuk's bed, his legs draped over the side. Minhyuk sat down beside him. 

Neither spoke a word for close to a minute. Jooheon wondered if he should speak, but instead he found himself focused on the sound of Minhyuk's heavy breathing. 

"C-..." Minhyuk bit his lip. "Can I ask?"

"I mean, I think I owe you that much," Jooheon answered, forcing a brief smile. 

"But I don't want to force you-"

"No, it's alright." He took a deep breath. "You, uh..." He paused and made a quick glance at Minhyuk. "You know about what happened to my father, right?"

The boy nodded. 

"Yeah, well, I have an older brother...his name is Hyungi. He's a couple years older than me, goes to a university not too far from here. There are dormitories there, actually, and he usually stays in the dorms, but every now and then he'll come home to visit. Even though...I don't really know why. Anyway, Hyungi's...never really been the stablest of people. Mentally or emotionally. Our dad's death only made things worse, and lately he's been getting angry all the time and when he visits he usually comes home drunk or smoking cigarettes or something...he can't control himself. And he's just got all this pent-up rage, and if you ever see him you'd be able to tell it's killing him inside, and he just needs some way to vent, and just today, he found Hoseok, Shin Hoseok, and-..." He stopped to catch his breath. "Hyungi sent him to the hospital. He's okay, though, it wasn't anything life threatening, but still. My brother came home later in the day angrier than usual, and he-...well, you know."

Jooheon raised his hand to scratch his cheek, and as he did so the sleeve of his shirt fell down slightly, revealing yet another bruise around his wrist and arm. Minhyuk's stomach churned, and his heart twisted and turned in painful knots. He felt like crying. He predicted he would before long. Because he could feel the tears in the back of his eyes, begging to come out into open air where they could be free. Jooheon was sad. Minhyuk could see that clearly, he just didn't understand why  _Jooheon_ wasn't crying. Maybe he had already. Or maybe he didn't know how. 

Minhyuk felt compelled to hug him - no, not compelled. He  _wanted_ to. So he did. He turned himself around slightly so that he could easily and comfortably place his arms around Jooheon's neck and pulled him close. 

"M-Minhyuk?"

He moved his hand to rest against the back of Jooheon's head. 

"Jooheon, I'm so sorry."

Jooheon felt himself being squeezed tighter. The slight pressure on his bruises hurt a little, but more than that, it felt warm. This hug...felt warm, and he hesitated to hug Minhyuk back. He did, though ever so softly, because he was shy and still a bit fazed at how openly affectionate this boy was. And kind. And sweet. And selfless. And he smelled nice. And-

"Are you hungry?"

Jooheon was pulled from his train of thought when Minhyuk suddenly pulled away from the hug, but with his hand now resting on Jooheon's shoulder. 

"Um..." The boy ran a lazy hand through his black hair. "Yeah, actually. But I wouldn't want to-"

"Jooheon, shut up, I'm gonna get you some food. You like tteottbokki crackers and banana milk?"

He blinked. "...I think so."

"Good. I'm gonna go get some. I'll be right back."

And he meant that. Jooheon could have sworn not ten seconds passed and Minhyuk was back with a large bag of crackers and two cartons of banana milk in his hands. He kicked the door shut behind him, then reclaimed his spot on the bed next to Jooheon. He held out one of the milk cartons. 

"I checked the expiration date, they're good," Minhyuk assured him. "The tteottbokki chips, too. Here." He set down his milk and popped open the bag of chips. "Try some. They're really good."

He ended up nearly having to shove the chip into Jooheon's mouth, because the boy's movements were just too slow, and Minhyuk refused to let him change his mind now. This was his house, and he was going to be as hospitable as possible whether Jooheon liked it or not. 

"...well? You like?"

He received a slow nod of approval, which made his smile return in full. 

"Good. I'm glad."

The two boys spent the next few minutes eating chips and drinking milk in silence - oddly enough, it didn't feel awkward to either of them. However, Minhyuk still held a lot of questions that were simply begging to be voiced. The problem was that he wasn't quite sure how to word them. And that was the primary reason for the stretch of quiet. To allow him to get his thoughts together. 

"Jooheon, do you mind if I asked why you called me?"

Jooheon tilted his head at Minhyuk. "I...already told you the reason."

"No, I meant why me? Of all people? Don't you have any close friends you turn to?"

His question drew from Jooheon a sad smile that faded as soon as it appeared. And it made Minhyuk guilty for having asked in the first place. "I haven't really felt close to anyone since my dad was killed," he answered, lowering his head. "I...started to avoid people, and they began to realize I didn't want to be around them, so for the most part, they gave me my space. It's nothing personal, and I think they knew that, it's just..." He gave a small shrug. "I was depressed."

"But you were okay with calling me."

"Well, yeah, after what happened at the hike I had a feeling I...could trust you."

Minhyuk expected him to begin stuttering nervously like he had done on the phone, but he was wrong. Jooheon continued. 

"You struck me as different, Minhyuk. I don't know...really, I surprised myself, but you really did amaze me. Kihyun's lucky to be your friend."

"You can be my friend, too."

Jooheon lifted his head again in surprise to stare at Minhyuk, only to find that the boy was already in the process of staring at  _him._ And with such warm eyes, too. He couldn't deny how pleasant it made his heart feel.

"Is that okay with you, Jooheon?"

 _Oh, it's more than okay._ "Yeah...that'd be great..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JooHyuk is the purest ship fite me
> 
> also as always i love getting feedback from u guys uwu, pls don't be afraid to let me know what you think of the chapter and whatnot
> 
> k bye~~~


	13. Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyungwon is reluctant concerning yet another idea of Kihyun's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im so freaking sorry i abandoned this for like two and a half months  
> i busied myself with another fic im working on (among other dumb things), but this is still very important to me so u can bet ur left foot im gonna do my best to still update
> 
> also i didnt edit this lmaoooo

Another day at school, another miserable day without Hoseok. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so miserable if Hyungwon didn't know the reason for it, and that was, of course, Hoseok needed time to recover from being violently assaulted by Jooheon's brother. According to Hoseok, he was feeling better every day, and even better when Hyungwon came to visit him. Hyungwon tried to disregard the sweetness of Hoseok's voice as he had spoken this to him. However it didn't help that he heard it everyday, through text and in person.

"You look lonely again today."

"I'm not. Shut up."

It also didn't help that these past few days Kihyun and Minhyuk had not spared him from their presences at lunch, and Kihyun would, each time without fail, ask the same question. Today, however, Hyungwon noticed that Minhyuk was not with the prince. Odd.

"So how's the puppy doing?"

Pursing his lips, Hyungwon let out a great sigh and lifted his eyes to look at Kihyun. Radiant as ever.  _Does he wear makeup? I can't even tell_. "Mostly better," the boy replied after a few seconds. "He...told me yesterday that his head isn't throbbing as much anymore, and his bruises are starting to heal, too. He'll be back soon...I think."

Kihyun made a quiet hum of acknowledgement, then nodded his head as he smiled softly. "I'm relieved," he said. "Really, I am. I heard what happened briefly from Minhyuk, then of course you gave me the details the other day, and I've felt sick to my stomach. I'm glad you're feeling okay, too, Hyungwon. I can't even imagine how you must've felt..."

He tried to shove aside the thought. Hyungwon didn't want to think about it, he was tired of thinking about it, tired of reliving the memory, so instead, to change the subject, he asked, "Not that I care or anything, but where's Minhyuk? You two always come over here together."

"Minhyuk-ah's absent today," the prince replied, a noticeable hint of sadness in his voice. It faded within seconds, though, as Kihyun continued, "but it's nothing serious like Hoseok's case. He's just got an annoying cold, that's all. He'll probably be back tomorrow. Makes me sad whenever he's not here, though...ah, but there is some upside to this. Minhyuk being absent, that is."

Before Hyungwon could even think to ask, Kihyun had already began digging into his backpack to retrieve something, soon to pull out a stack of small white envelopes. He took a moment to shuffle them, seemingly in search of a specific one, which he then slipped out of the stack and slid over to a perplexed Hyungwon.

"Invitation," Kihyun explained with a smile. "I'm planning a party for Minhyuk, but it's a surprise, so I had to find a time when he wasn't around to hand them out."

"You're not serious, are you?"

Kihyun tilted his head. "No, I really am throwing him a party. He deserves it."

"No, I meant about inviting me."

Now Kihyun was the perplexed one. He stifled a laugh, reaching out his hand to place on Hyungwon's shoulder. "Well, why wouldn't I invite you? We're friends, right? And you and Minhyuk are friends, right?"

"W-"

"Of course we are, don't answer that. We're all friends. So you'll be there, won't you?"

He didn't answer. He didn't know what to say, so he just silently accepted the envelope and slipped it into the backpack at his side. When he turned around again, Kihyun was holding out yet another one.

"Give this to Hoseok, won't you?"

Hyungwon threw up his brows. "You're inviting him, too?"

"Of course." Another curious look from the prince. "Again, why wouldn't I?"

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Hyungwon simply gave up with the conversation and waved his hand dismissively, hoping Kihyun would catch the hint and stop talking to him. And fortunately for Hyungwon, he got his wish, but only because Kihyun insisted he had to finish handing out invitations. So after uttering a friendly goodbye, Kihyun left Hyungwon to finish his lunch in peace, in silence, alone. He sighed again. But no, he wasn't lonely. Not at all. This is what he had grown used to in the past, he could just as easily fall back into that pace.

A few moments passed. _Wow, I'm bored_.

Digging his hand into his backpack, Hyungwon fished out his phone, not expecting to be greeted by a plethora of notifications the second he turned on the screen.

 

**1 missed call from Hoseok.**

**2 new messages from Hoseok.**

**8 new messages from Changkyun.**

**2 new messages from Hyunwoo.**

**6 new messages from Jooheon.**

 

Hyungwon scrunched up his nose as he looked at those last three notifications. "Why are _they_ texting me?"

Sometimes he forget they even had his number to begin with. And he couldn't say he was very pleased with it at all. Then there was Jooheon, who was just...a mystery to him. Letting out a defeated breath, Hyungwon used his precious time to check and respond to each of the four people who had decided to bother him.

 

**Hoseok** :

hyungwonie i called y didnt u respond :,(

makes me a sad boi

**Hyungwon** :

what did u want

make it quick

**Hoseok** :

oh its nth...

just wanted to say hi

and say im doing better every day :)

**Hyungwon** :

when will u be back in

**Hoseok** :

aw do u miss me

if u said u missed me that would make all my injuries go away immediately

no lie

**Hyungwon** :

oops guess youll have

to bear them longer then

**Hoseok** :

haha :D

*

*

**Changkyun** :

hoseok-ah said u didnt answer his call

i cant believe u man

when a fren call

u ansr

not that difficult

and esp if it's hoseok

I'm not gonna let sum guy ignore his calls and get away with it

youll ansr to me bud

**Hyungwon:**

I didn't realize he called

chill tf out man

I just responded to his text

**Changkyun:**

oh

ok then we're good

u shall live to see another day

*

*

**Hyunwoo:**

hey changkyun just spammed me sayin u didn't answer Hoseok's call

I'm not as strict as him but could u pls respond to Hoseok so Chang shuts up

**Hyungwon:**

just did

**Hyunwoo:**

thanks 

*

*

**Jooheon:**

just had a thought

you're not holding a grudge against me or anything are you

you know, for what happened to Hoseok

I know it's been a few days already so I'm sure you find it weird I'm just now saying something

but I just wanted to clear things up in case there were any misunderstandings

I didn't have anything to do with it

**Hyungwon:**

what're u blabbering on about

**Jooheon:**

the attack

I'm just saying I didn't

I mean in case I didn't make it clear when I spoke to you at the hospital

I don't support my brother's actions at all

so I hope you'll forgive me

and him

I just don't want anyone to be upset with me

**Hyungwon:**

look dude I think ur overthinking things

if it's bothering u forget about it

I don't even care

**Jooheon:**

you don't?

well that's good

I guess

sorry to bother you while you're eating lunch

**Hyungwon:**

how did u know I was eating lunch?

r u spying on me??

**Jooheon:**

it's lunch break

also you're sitting two tables away from me I can see you from here 

 

Hyungwon lifted his head slightly to gaze across the cafeteria, only to find the familiar dark-haired melancholic boy looking back at him. He returned his attention to his phone. 

 

**Hyungwon:**

wtvr

hey did Kihyun give u an invitation for minhyuk's party

**Jooheon:**

what?

**Hyungwon:**

sorry did I stutter in text form

minhyuk's party

Kihyun's handing out invitations

I don't know who to or wtvr

I also don't know if u even know who Minhyuk is

don't know why I even asked in the first place

**Jooheon:**

well I

do know Minhyuk

he's

I mean never mind

I don't know why I'd get invited to a party for him though

well Kihyun and I used to talk so maybe

**Hyungwon:**

idk either dude by the looks of it Kihyun's just handing a bunch of them out randomly now

he's so weird

like who even uses written invitations these days anyway

so old fashioned 

 

There was a somewhat long delay after Hyungwon's text, and seeing as Jooheon's responses had this far been rather immediate, curious Hyungwon raised his head once again to peer over at the boy's table. And he found Kihyun now sitting beside him, handing Jooheon an envelope as he smiled that princely smile. 

**Jooheon:**

I just got one

**Hyungwon:**

yeah

I saw

**Jooheon:**

I'm guessing you were invited too

**Hyungwon:**

unfortunately

**Jooheon:**

?

**Hyungwon:**

I just don't do social gatherings and parties man

**Jooheon:**

I don't typically either

well not anymore I mean

I used to

but anyway

I owe Minhyuk

**Hyungwon:**

owe him?

**Jooheon:**

yeah

**Hyungwon:**

ok

wtvr u say weirdo

I don't rly owe Minhyuk

so I got nth keeping me from not going 

**Jooheon:**

so you guys aren't friends?

**Hyungwon:**

look I'm not having this discussion with u aight

**Jooheon:**

right

well ok

talk to you later I guess

**Hyungwon:**

yeah wtvr man

 

He ended the conversation there, preparing to shut off his phone again when he stopped himself to briefly switch over to Hoseok's contact. 

 

**Hyungwon:**

theres a party for minhyuk

im not going 

but i was told to ask u

**Hoseok:**

y arent u going??

**Hyungwon:**

i 

wasnt invited


End file.
